Get Down Tonight
by CrazyBeCat
Summary: At an event, Andrea finds two very bored 13 year olds in Miranda's upstairs suite, used to change clothes so her dress won't wrinkle in the car. Making a rash decision, she pulls them downstairs and tells the DJ, who has been playing flavorful music for the event, to play something a little different… and takes the twins onto the dance floor to have some fun. Pre-Mirandy- no Paris
1. Dance Party

**A/N: My first DWP fic! :D I'm still working on my other fics as well, and I've got part of Chapter 13 going for H-A-H. :)**

**I'm filling in by adding some one-shots. I may have a couple more up throughout this week, but I'm not sure. It depends on homework and such.**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

**Love lots,**

**CBC**

* * *

"Oh, I have the album you wanted me to pass on. Would you like me to grab it for you?" Andrea spoke with a smile to Mr. Dollenagar.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

"Sure, I'll be right back with it," turning, she quickly made her way to the back stairs and scurried her way up to the suite that Miranda had acquired for the event.

Opening the door, she gasped to see her boss's daughters lounging on the bed and tossing a paper wad back and forth, "Oh my God, I didn't know you two were here."

"Hi, Andy," they muttered as they resumed tossing the paper wad.

Andy frowned, "What happened? Your father was supposed to have you this weekend."

They nodded, "Yea, well, you know him. Too busy with his new doll to spend time with us," Caroline said, her voice betraying her hurt despite the anger in her tone.

Cassidy made a growl of agreement and tossed the paper back to her sister, "She wants to spend this weekend with him, and he just rolls over and plays dead. God, at least Mom never did that when she was with Stephen. She put us first."

"He may not have ever been the best, but he didn't treat us like badly. He knew how important we were to Mom. The marriage may have ended horribly, but it didn't start out that way."

"Yea," Cassidy gave Andy a quick glance before returning to the paper wad tossing, "they were actually pretty happy in the beginning. Then Mom had to start working more, because of her stupid boss, and Stephen had more cases to work. They weren't really ever in love with each other, but they were happy. Then Stephen started drinking, and Mom got even more busy, so the little time she had she always spent with us, and not with Stephen."

"It really threw him for a loop. They were friends, and then they got married, and everything went bad. They just finished the freaking divorce crap, and neither are speaking with each other. We heard Mom talking with her lawyer, and she said that things would have been better if she never married Stephen because they would still be friends."

Andy listened with rapt attention as the girls continued to bounce back and forth, filling in the story, "At least Stephen treated us well enough that on evenings when Dad canceled, and Cara was out because Mom gave her the few days off, we would spend the time with him. He'd pretty much leave us alone, but we had the adult home that Mom would allow."

"Though, even that became less frequent the more he started drinking. Now that he's gone, and Dad ditched us, and Cara's with her family, we have to sit here for the whole evening. You know Mom, she doesn't usually spend that much time at these events, but her stupid boss has her doing a whole bunch of speeches, and so she has to stay here even longer."

"Hey!" Andy exclaimed, coming up with an idea, "I have an idea. Put your shoes on. I just need to grab a file."

"What are we doing?" Caroline asked.

Andy smiled, "We're going to go dance."

"Mom told us not to leave." Cassidy said, even as she slipped her ballet flats back onto her feet.

"Well then, it'll be my head on a platter not yours. Come on," Andy grabbed the album file she needed from her purse, "we're going downstairs. You need to stay at the stairs until I give this file to the man who needs it, then I'll talk to the DJ. I'll come back and then we're going to the dance floor."

"Mom is going to have you fired. If you aren't already for not being at her side." Caroline said matter-of-factly.

"She had to deal with a matter that I couldn't be involved with, that's why I'm not at her side. If I get fired for taking you to the dance floor, well then, so be it."

"Really?" Cassidy questioned as Andy opened the suite door.

Andy nodded, "Yea. You guys don't deserve to be stuck in here because of your dad, and there's a perfectly fine DJ just downstairs. You'll still be where your Mom is, you'll just be having some fun. If I get fired, it'll be worth it."

"You'd get fired for us? Even after we almost got you fired cause we tricked you to come upstairs and interrupt a fight between Mom and Stephen?" Caroline asked with a wondering tone.

Scooting them out the door Andy nodded again as she answered, "Yes, because it's not fair for you to suffer. You know your mom would prefer you to be home then here. She knows that being stuck in this room isn't any fun, and that you don't get your work done because it's too constricting. So, let's go have some fun. At least, if I get fired, I'll be having some fun with you two."

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Cassidy and Caroline wrapped their arms around Andy's waist, "Thanks, Andy."

"We'll wait here, like you said." Cassidy smiled.

"Yea, we'll be waiting," Caroline said with a grin as she sat down on the bottom step.

"Be back in a minute," Andy smiled in return before leaving and taking care of her business with Mr. Dollenagar, and the DJ.

/DWP/

"Okay, come on," Andy grinned as she went back to the twins and put her hands out for them to grab, "I'm really hoping you know some hip moves, cause otherwise I'm going to be the lone one out."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"Well, like the Electric Slide, and the Macarena, and the Cha Cha Slide. I told the DJ to play through a list of fun dances that come with set choreography."

Cassidy giggled and bounced on her toes as they began to move towards the dance floor, "This is gonna be awesome!" She whispered to her sister, doing her best to ignore the looks they were receiving now that they were out in front.

"Ready to have some fun?" Andy asked as she nodded to the DJ.

"Everyone is looking at us," Caroline murmured.

The Macarena started to play and Andy smiled, "Just dance, and have fun. Once you get started, the people watching won't matter," she said as she began the arm movements.

Cassidy giggled again and jumped in with her, smiling when Caroline joined after the first hip shake.

Laughing, Andy added a little more sway to her body as they danced, "Eeeh! Macarena!" She called out with the music.

Caroline and Cassidy laughed, each adding a little more wiggle to their bodies, each not caring anymore that they were being watched. Andy had been right. Once they started dancing, and saw how Andy really was having fun with them, their spirits were instantly lifted.

Smiling with each other and laughing, they all began to sing with the music, and Andy noted out of the corner of her eye that a few of the _Runway_ staff had begun to nonchalantly join in as well.

As the Macarena ended, the Cha Cha slide picked right up, and Andy continued to laugh and smile when the girls didn't even hesitate to 'get funky' as the song called for.

As they continued to dance, Andy noticed that a few more of the various staff members continued to get involved in the impromptu dancing.

Cassidy and Caroline smiled brightly at Andy and laughed when they all froze, before doing as instructing and clapping their hands, "This is so much fun, Andy!" Cassidy said gleefully as they went to the floor.

"Yea! Thank you so much, Andy!" Caroline agreed when they made their way back into full standing positions.

"You two are very welcome. Look, we have some people dancing with us," she smiled, nodding around to the slowly growing number of dancers who were following the lyrical instructions.

"Yea!" They both giggled.

Caroline gasped and looked at Andy as the song finished and the Electric Boogie played through the speakers while Cassidy laughed and began to dance, "Mom can't get angry at us now, cause we haven't gotten in trouble, and people are joining us!"

Andy chuckled, and shook her head, "I'm glad you're having fun." She gave Caroline a quick hug before joining Cassidy doing the Electric Slide, and smiling when Caroline did the same.

"Well, look at you Six," Andy gasped and spun her head to see Nigel sidle up and picking up with the dance, "looking to get fired?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Moving just a little closer to Nigel, she whispered to him as they continued to dance, "They're dad ducked out of the weekend with them, to spend it with his new girl. It was so last minute that the only thing Miranda could do was bring them with her. I found them upstairs bored out of their minds."

"Ahh, so you're looking to get fired."

"No, just trying to make some bored teenagers have some fun after being dumped by their own father. If that gets me fired, so be it."

"Uncle Nigel!" Cassidy squealed when she noticed him.

"Hey there Nugget, having fun?" He asked.

"Nigel, you promised you wouldn't call me that in public!"

He laughed, "Oh, I did, did I? Well, okay, I'll just get in a quick shot at Peanut, to make it even-"

"Uncle Nigel!" Caroline hissed.

He laughed again, "Okay, I'm done. No more nicknames in public."

"Where's Mom?" Cassidy asked, as the music faded from the Electric Slide into the Biker's Shuffle.

"Oh, this is a fun one," Andy laughed, breathless but enjoying the dancing, and the company.

"She's talking with Irv, about some budget or another. Why he felt it now would be a good time to discuss it, I'll never know. I'm surprised you girls know the Biker's Shuffle." Nigel smiled at the twins, and they returned it.

"When we're bored, we dance in the den, all kinds of dancing," Caroline explained.

"Yea, and line dances are tons of fun, and great to share with friends," Cassidy finished.

Andy smiled, "Getting tired yet?"

The girls both shook their heads, "No way, this is the most fun we've had in a while, I'm not gonna stop just cause I'm getting winded," Caroline grinned as Cassidy voiced her agreement with a nodding head.

Nigel chuckled, "Well, even if you were getting tired, it seems that more than enough people have joined in with your example." Looking pointedly at Andy while they changed their face of direction, he spoke just loud enough for her to hear, "This has been the least boring _Runway_ event since Miranda's water broke during a speech."

Andy gaped at him over her shoulder, "Really?"

"Don't tell her I tattled."

"So long as you explain in exact detail."

"That, I can do, later."

She nodded as they changed direction again, "Deal."

As the Biker's shuffle came to an end, Andy, the girls, and Nigel failed to notice that the people behind them had stopped dancing, until they all jumped at a cool toned voice, "Now, whose idea was this?"

Andy spun around, swallowing a gasp, and gaped a little as she exclaimed, "Miranda!"

/DWP/

Miranda tightened her eyes into a sharper glare, but before she was able to open her mouth, she felt hands grasping at her own, "Mom!" Cassidy smiled up at her.

Caroline snatched her other hand, "Momma, we've had so much fun!"

"Why are you two down here?" She asked, her voice still cold and harsh, but her eyes warming at the sight of her daughters.

"Andy found us, upstairs," Caroline said.

"and brought us down," Cassidy continued.

"So that we wouldn't be bored."

"She said that it wasn't fair to you, or to us, that dad keeps on dropping our plans."

"Andy thought that it would be really nice to take us down here so that we could have some fun, and so you wouldn't feel bad that we were upstairs with nothing to do," Caroline smiled at her again before looking at Andrea.

"She told the DJ to play a whole bunch of line dances! It's been so much fun!" Cassidy giggled and squeezed her hand. Miranda could see it in her eyes how her girls so desperately wanted to give her a hug, but weren't sure if they were allowed to while she was in her _Runway_ mode.

"It has, has it?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow, before lifting her gaze back to her assistant.

Her daughters nodded, "It's been really great, Momma."

"Please don't be angry."

"She just wanted to make us happy."

"Don't fire her, Mom. She didn't do anything wrong."

Miranda squeezed her daughters' hands and gave them a smile before she leaned down to give them each a kiss on the forehead, noting sadly how big they were getting, "Oh, Bobbseys, I'm so glad that this evening has turned out well for you two."

Her girls smiled so brightly, she felt her irritation with Andrea for not informing her about the dancing plans completely slip away as they spoke, "It was really fun!"

"Well then, how about one last one? Before we head back home?"

She never thought her daughters could smile so widely, or happily, as they bounced on their toes, "Really?"

Nodding, she looked at her assistant, and then at Nigel, "Do you know _The New Yorker_?" She asked.

Noting her children's cheers of delight- as Miranda had been the one to teach them her favorite line dance- she watched Andrea smile at her and laugh lightly, "I do."

Nigel nodded in agreement, "Yes."

"Then it's settled. Andrea, go inform the DJ to change the music to _Get Down Tonight_."

Andrea nodded and smiled before doing as instructed, "Yes, Miranda."

"Mom! You're going to dance with us?"

"Really, Momma? This is awesome!"

"It's your favorite!"

"It's our favorite!"

Miranda nodded, and released her daughters' hands, "Well, we can't dance if we're too close together, Bobbseys."

Her girls giggled and gasped and scooted away so that Cassidy was to her left, and Caroline was to her right- as they always positioned themselves when with her- and cheered when the music picked up and Andy quickly scurried onto the floor to join them, Andy beside Caroline and Nigel beside Cassidy.

/DWP/

Miranda smiled at her girls when she closed the townhouse door behind them, "Drink a glass of water, brush your teeth and go to the restroom before heading to bed, Bobbseys. I'm going to change, and get ready for bed, then I'll come and say goodnight."

Cassidy grabbed her hand, and lifted onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to her cheek, "Thanks for a great night, Mom."

Caroline quickly repeated her sister's actions, "Thanks for dancing with us, and not getting angry with Andy."

"We had a lot of fun," they chorused before dashing to the kitchen to get their glasses of water.

Miranda made her way up the two flights of stairs into her bedroom, and quickly stripped off her gown with a practiced ease that didn't cause any damage. Hanging up the beautiful gown, she removed her strapless bra, rolled down her stockings and took off her 'no-show' thong.

Sighing, she rolled her shoulders before tossing the clothes into her laundry hamper and making her way to the dresser in her closet, where she put on a comfortable pair of sleeping briefs, and slipped into her favorite silk pajama bottoms. Grabbing the matching top, she headed into her bathroom and removed her make-up with a swift gentleness, then proceeded to smooth her face over with her favorite moisturizer- as was her every night routine.

Sighing again, she pulled on the soothing silk pajama top, before grabbing her electric toothbrush. Staring into her bathroom vanity mirror, she put a dollop of toothpaste onto the brush and flipped the switch as she put the toothbrush into her mouth.

She'd had the most fun she'd ever had in a long time… so then why did her heart feel so heavy… she wondered. Why did she feel so happy, and yet… so… utterly and completely depressed?

Miranda continued to wonder about it as she finished brushing her teeth, and put everything away before heading down to her daughters' rooms.

She found them both in Cassidy's room, sitting and laughing about how much fun they'd had with Andrea.

Andrea. Her assistant. The very assistant who took the time to entertain the saddened girls who had been ignored by their father. Andrea… who was her beautiful, young assistant, that treated her daughters with such kindness.

Knocking softly, she drew her daughters' attention, "Did you truly have such a wonderful time?" She asked.

Her daughters nodded and they both smiled and giggled, waving her into the room to cuddle with them on the bed, "Way cooler than going to dad's!" They chorused.

Caroline scowled, "He still treats us like we're babies."

"Yea, and we always go out, because his dates don't want us in the house."

"They're afraid of us ruining the house or something."

"Seriously, he never dates anyone who likes us!"

"Yea! He should date someone like Andy!" Caroline grinned, "Or you could date her!"

Miranda swallowed back the urge to splutter, "Oh?"

Cassidy nodded vigorously, "She treats us like we're people, and understands that we are important to you. Dad's girlfriends don't do that. Dad doesn't treat us like we're important, so he shouldn't have someone as awesome as Andy."

"But you treat us like we're important, and so does Andy!"

"Girls, she's my assistant, of course she is aware of how important you are. She makes sure that all of our plans are in the schedule so no one interrupts our time together," she said softly, hugging her girls to her sides- Cassidy on her left, and Caroline on her right.

"Well, sure, but we see the way that she looks at you-"

"She totally is falling in love with you!"

Caroline smiled, "It's so not some hero-worship like with Emily."

"She would be perfect!"

"Yea! We already like her, and you look at her with a special look in your eyes, so we know you like her too-"

"So it would be perfect!"

"Bobbseys," Miranda cooed, "Andrea is my assistant. It is against company policy for me to date her. I am also twenty-four years older than she is. It would not be in her best interest to date an old woman like myself."

"You're not old!"

"Besides, who cares about age if you make each other happy, and fall in love."

"Yea, and Dad's second wife was twenty-seven years younger than him. She was only barely twenty-four!"

"Momma," Caroline snuggled against her, "if she makes you happy, and you think that a relationship might work, you shouldn't let it go."

Cassidy nodded against Miranda's chest, "She makes you smile, Mom. Don't waste a chance because of some stupid company policy, and that age thing. Andy makes your eyes light up, and you light up hers."

"She cares enough about you, and us, to risk getting in trouble for making us happy."

Miranda felt a lump stick in her throat, "You wouldn't be bothered? If your notions are correct, and I pursue a relationship with Andrea, it wouldn't bother you?"

Both girls shook their heads, "Not a bit," they replied.

Cassidy pressed a kiss to her cheek, "If Andy makes you truly as happy as it seems, then you should see if she feels the same way."

"At least see if maybe you can form a friendship. Like with Uncle Nigel."

Miranda felt the heaviness in her heart slowly becoming less painful, "Well, I guess the least I can do is invite her for dinner for an evening. It would be a nice way to thank her, for making you two happy tonight." They giggled and Miranda smiled before a yawn escaped her lips, "All right, to bed you two."

"Invite her for dinner next Friday!" Caroline exclaimed, ignoring the last comment Miranda said.

"That way we can turn down Dad! He can see what it feels like when he always turns us down."

"You should go back to court and file for full custody, let's see how he feels after that."

Miranda sighed, "Girls, he's still your father."

"Well, then can you help us make him understand how much he's hurting us?" Cassidy asked.

Hesitating a moment, Miranda sucked in a breath before exhaling, "All right, Bobbseys, I'll ask Andrea on Monday if she's available next Friday. If she is, then you two can choose when you want to call your father and tell him that you're not going to his house for that weekend."

She got two big kisses to her cheeks in return as the girls spoke together, "Thanks Mom(ma)!"

"You're welcome, but now it's time for bed. You have your recital rehearsal tomorrow morning."

"Okay, good night, Momma."

"Good night, Mom."

Pressing a kiss to each girl's forehead, she stood up from their embrace, "I love you both. Caroline, go on to your room. I'll tuck in your sister, then do the same for you."

Her eldest- by three excruciating hours- nodded, "Good night Cassy."

"Night Care-bear," Cassidy smiled as her sister left the room.

Miranda waited as Cassidy hunkered down into the covers before leaning over and pressing a kiss to red hair, "I love you, Cassidy."

"I love you too, Mom."

Smoothing out the blankets and tucking them under Cassidy's chin, Miranda gave her a gentle smile, "Good night, Bobbsey, sleep tight," and pressed another kiss to her forehead.

As she exited the room to repeat the ritual with Caroline, Cassidy called to her back, "Good night, Mom. I hope that whatever happens, that it turns out to be a good thing."

"Me too, Bobbsey," she replied as she flipped off the light and closed the bedroom door until just a sliver was still open, before heading down the hall to Caroline's bedroom.

Caroline was already cuddled up in bed, and Miranda smiled as she pressed the first kiss to her daughter's red head, "I love you, Caroline."

"I love you too, Momma."

She smoothed out the blankets and tucked them under Caroline's chin as she smiled, "Good night, Bobbsey, sleep tight."

Pressing the second kiss to Caroline's forehead, she made her exit to Caroline's parting words, "I hope that it works out with Andy, Momma."

"I do too, Bobbsey," she answered softy, flipping off the light and closing the door as she had Cassidy's.

A soft smile on her face, she returned to the third floor, and slipped into her own bed, "I do too," she murmured before she slipped into the calmest, most peaceful sleep she'd had since before Stephen had started drinking, with her beautiful, young, doe-eyed, brunette assistant on her mind.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you think?**

**Let me know in a review?**

**All my love,**

**CBC**


	2. Dinner

**A/N: High demand called for more… so, I decided to give.**

**I hope you enjoy it, and if it continues to get positive reviews, then perhaps I can find it within the dredges of my brain to continue further.**

**I'm totally sick as a dog right now, so if this is riddled with typos and stuff... (aha... stuff...) let me know where, and I'll come through and fix them when I re-read it and edit it and such. I woke up just to get this posted, so I could let all you wonderful readers know: That I took up your pleading for more, and gave you more.**

**If this does turn into a longer fic... it's probably going to be a crazy slow burn, with distant updates. Cause I'm busy with school, and my other fics... even if I haven't updated some in WAY too long... and I'm desperately trying to get my head back in the game and complete them.**

**Seriously hope that this goes over well,**

**It's longer than the first part :)**

**Love lots,**

**CBC**

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Miranda ran her tongue along her teeth before opening her mouth, "Andrea," she murmured, her voice calm and quiet, as was per usual in the _Runway_ offices.

She heard a flutter of paper, and felt the shift in the air as Andrea entered the office, "Yes, Miranda."

Glancing up swiftly, she indicated the door behind the woman with her eyes before looking back down at her work, knowing that Andrea had gotten the message.

Once she heard the soft click of her office door being closed, she set her pen down, slipped off her glasses, and leaned back in her chair, "Sit," she commanded gently.

A look of confusion passed over Andrea's face before she obliged the order and took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs that were on the opposite side of Miranda's glass desk. A moment of silence passed, and Miranda watched as Andrea twitched every few seconds, clearly nervous, but seemingly… comfortable.

Clearing her throat, Miranda shifted in her chair just a smidge before speaking, "Andrea, I wish to speak with you about Friday's Gala." The woman's mouth opened, and Miranda narrowed her gaze slightly, waiting for it to close before continuing, "My daughters had a wonderful time, and are very grateful for what you did."

Softening her gaze, she let a smile peak out from the corner of her lips, as she took a- very silent- deep breath, "Andrea, do you have any plans for next Friday's evening? After you drop off The Book?"

"No," Andrea scrunched her brow for a moment, "I don't think I do."

Miranda nodded, and linked her fingers together across her abdomen, running her fingers across the scar that would always remind her of the day she almost lost her youngest daughter, "Then, I would like to invite you to dinner, at the townhouse, to properly thank you for treating my girls with such kindness after my ex-husband was unable to follow through with his promises."

She kept a collected look on her face as Andrea's eyes widened slightly, "Wh- what?"

"Two Fridays from now, my girls and I would like to extend the welcome to our home for an evening meal. They are very grateful for what you did for them, and would love to spend more time with you. I would like to offer my thanks for taking my girls into account after you found them upstairs. I'm sure my daughters informed you that their father canceled their weekend plans, and they were very upset- however, they had the most pleasant evening, and informed me they had more fun with you in just an hour than they would have had with their father over the weekend," Miranda explained softly, not finding any frustration with needing to do one of her least favorite things- explain herself.

A moment passed before a tentative- though bright- smile spread itself across Andrea's face, "Of course, Miranda. I would really enjoy spending an evening with the girls." Miranda could have sworn that the smile brightened just a little more as Andrea finished, "With you."

"Wonderful. I'll be sure to inform the art department that The Book is to be completed no later than seven. I will be leaving the office no later than four-thirty. We'll have an eight o'clock dinner, so that you have an hour to get the dry cleaning and time for Roy to handle traffic. My girls will be very pleased to hear you'll be there."

She watched Andrea's brow furrow again, "Miranda, that Friday the girls should be going with their father."

Miranda nodded, "They have decided that he needs to have a hands on experience with how hurt they are by his constant mistreatment of them. So they have decided to cancel on him. I am upset with his blatant disregard for their feelings, and so have given them some free range in their wishes to show him how hurt they are by his choices in ignoring them. They will be at the dinner on that Friday."

Andrea gave another gentle smile, "Then tell them I am excited to see them for dinner next week."

"I will do just that. Get me Bantidano on the phone, and inform Jocelyn that she number five in file three will be going to Nigel for revitalizing before I want to see it again. It's pleasant to see some competent work this morning."

Andrea nodded and stood, "Bantidano and five file three to Nigel. Anything else, Miranda?"

Miranda shook her head as she slipped on her glasses and went back to her work, hiding a smile on her lips as she said, "That's all."

/DWP/

Miranda narrowed her eyes at her daughters as she stepped into the upstairs den. She had left the office a few minutes after four, planning to spend time in on Sunday to make up for the time lost, and was fortunate to get home just after four-thirty after making a quick grocery run for the ingredients to a homemade dessert she was planning to make, "Girls, what are you two doing?" She asked as she reached down to brush her fingers through Patricia's fur- who had followed her upstairs after she had gotten home. The large dog loved her girls, but Patricia would always be Miranda's girl.

Cassidy snapped her head up and gave her a beautiful smile, "We're waiting for the perfect time to call Dad to cancel."

Caroline giggled, "He didn't cancel until super last minute, so we're waiting until he is, hopefully, about ten minutes away. So he has to drive thirty minutes back home. When he does keep his plans, he's always punctual. He said that he was going to be here at five. That means that he leaves the house at three fifty."

"If traffic is bad, he's still here on time. If traffic is good, he gets us candy, or gets a cup of coffee until it's time to get us. We've kept track of the traffic reports, and so far traffic is pretty good, so in four minutes we're going to call Dad."

"He should be just able to pull to the side to answer the call, because there's that stretch right there, that has parking. At this time, they're usually pretty empty, but in a few hours they fill right up."

"So, we call him, and he picks up, and we cancel."

Nodding, Miranda sighed and squatted down to smother her loveable Saint Bernard with a few kisses before she looked at her daughters, "I have no part in this, do be sure to inform him. The only thing I did was speak to you about my dinner plans, and you decided you wanted to stay. I gave you the task of telling him."

Her daughters nodded as Cassidy spoke, "Yup. It's all on us. He's the one who cheated on you, and broke your heart. You're the one who fought him in court to get the majority. You were thinking of us when you agreed that he could still see us, because he's our father."

Caroline jumped up to wrap her arms around Miranda's waist, her legs straddled over the large dog, "We know that you love us, and don't want to get involved because that can be an implication against you in court. We don't want him to get anymore custody of us than he has."

"He needs to get his priorities straight, and we haven't been high on that list for years," Cassidy stated, standing up and petting Patricia.

"Seriously, it sucks."

"If it ever comes to it, we'd tell the judge the truth. You're busy all the time, but you make us feel more loved and appreciated in five minutes than Dad does in a day," Cassidy said as she joined in the hug.

Miranda swallowed back the lump in her throat and hugged her beautiful, brilliant, loving daughters against her body, "I love you both, so very much, Bobbseys. You're my precious beautiful girls, and I'm so glad you have each other, and I have you."

"We love you too, Mom(ma)."

Cassidy smirked, "Hey, if everything works out well, who knows, we may have siblings yet."

Caroline giggled as Miranda gasped, and Patricia let out a quick bark, then a whine, "Excuse me?" Miranda breathed, reaching down to plant a hand on Patricia's head to sooth her.

"Cassy, don't get ahead of everything. We don't want to scare Andy away, so no mentioning the possibility of siblings."

Miranda cleared her throat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the girls' eager plans for a distant, not likely, future, "Girls, this is a highly inappropriate conversation to be having, and I am going to nip it in the bud. Are we understood?"

They dropped their eyes and nodded, "Yes."

"Good. Now, call your father, then work on your homework. Andrea will be here between seven-thirty and eight. I know it's only Friday, and you have tomorrow and Sunday to do homework, but you should get some finished before you both come downstairs to help me with finishing dinner."

Their heads snapped back up as they gasped, "You're making dinner tonight!"

Miranda nodded and smiled softly, "I am, and your favorite dessert. I thought you might like to introduce it to Andrea. Now, make sure to call your father, I'll see you downstairs in a few hours."

"Okay, Mom, love you."

"Love you, Momma."

Miranda's smile remained on her face, "I love you both," she said before she turned and left the den to get started with dinner- she had just enough time to get it done- with a barrel of fur sauntering after her.

/DWP/

"Cassidy, set the table, please? Caroline, would you go into the wine cellar and grab the fourth bottle from the top, on the seventh row on right," Miranda instructed as she drizzled the raspberry sauce over the ice-cream cheesecake.

Her girls chorused their answers before slipping from the kitchen to do as told, leaving Miranda a moment to breath deeply and calm her nerves.

"This is not for work," she muttered to herself, "and I will not treat it as such. Andrea is a guest tonight, and I will treat her as such."

Taking another deep breath, she finished the raspberry sauce garnish and slipped the dirty bowl in her hands into the tub of warm water where she had put the dishes. She would clean them after Andrea had departed. This was her mess, and it was more than a few dishes, so she wouldn't leave it to the housekeeper.

Glancing at the clock she took one last deep breath and swallowed down her growing anxiety. It was seven-thirty. Andrea would be arriving any minute.

Shifting the turkey stroganoff dish from the oven onto a hot pad, she flittered quickly around the kitchen with small finishing touches to the dinner she had cooked.

"Momma, where would you like me to put the wine?" Her eldest daughter's voice spoke, and Miranda turned to see Caroline standing at the island counter with the wine bottle in her hand.

"Right there is fine, Bobbsey, thank you."

Caroline smiled and set the bottle down, "Yup, welcome. Anything else?"

"No, not until Andrea gets here, so go wash up, and if Cassidy needs help setting the table, do so."

"M'kay. Thanks so much for inviting her, Momma. It's going to be great. I hope that you two can make some form of relationship work."

"Well, I'm willing to try, Bobbsey, but you know I can not promise anything. You know how I am perceived outside of the house."

Her daughter nodded, "I know, Momma, but I really think that you and Andy can make something work. You're both smart, and she definitely cares about you, and respects you. Cassidy and I can see it in the way she looks at you. We can hear it in the way she said that she wanted to take us downstairs to dance. She was willing to take any wrath you would dish out, cause she didn't like seeing us so bored, and knew that you were upset that you weren't able to make alternative plans."

Miranda smiled, "I was upset that she had not informed me that she had brought you downstairs, but I didn't have any plans to fire her."

Cassidy came into the kitchen, giggling, "No, you just wanted to kiss her. When you narrowed your eyes at her, you were totally staring at her lips."

Caroline snorted and a wide grin spread across her face, "I even think Uncle Nigel noticed."

Miranda fought the blush creeping up her neck- _had I really been staring at Andrea's lips_- she hadn't even noticed herself, "Girls, whatever may become of this dinner, you two certainly seem to be pages ahead of us. Don't jump ahead, it will only make you both upset if nothing continues."

"Just invite her to dinner again! That's all it takes. We don't mind being buffers for a while," Cassidy smiled and stepped to Miranda, giving her a hug, that Caroline soon joined in on.

"Yea, Momma. We can be the cushions for a while, and then if things continue to turn out well, then you two can have dinner together without us."

Cassidy opened her mouth to say something else when the front door opened, and before Miranda could take a step forward, both her girls had disengaged from the hug and shot down the hall, giggling as they sped to the door, "No running in the house!" She called before making her way to the sliding glass door that led into the backyard.

Opening the door, she whistled, and Patricia came bounding up to her with a happy bark, "Upstairs, Patricia," she commanded with a point of her finger, "bedroom." Patricia whined and sat at her feet. Sighing, she leaned over and gave the big dog a quick kiss to her fluffy head, "Upstairs, bedroom."

Patricia stood and followed the command, padding her way towards the stairs, as Miranda heard her girls squeal, "Andy!"

Following after Patricia into the foyer, she watched Patricia pounce up the stairs as she made her way towards Andrea and her daughters, "Good evening, Andrea."

The brunette smiled, "Hi girls. Hello, Miranda," she said softly before she quickly opened the closet door and hung up the dry cleaning. She closed the door and settled The Book onto the foyer table before stooping and wrapping her arms around the girls for a big hug, "How was your week, girls?"

Caroline and Cassidy both opened their mouths to blabber away, when Miranda cut in, "Girls, why don't you let me take Andrea's coat, and you two can take her to the dinning room before you tell her all about your week."

Her girls smiled, "Ok Mom(ma)." They pulled from the younger woman's arms and Miranda stepped forward.

"Hurry, with your coat, before they pull you away with it still on."

Andrea laughed and shed her coat, "Thank you, Miranda," she smiled as she handed the black coat to her.

Taking it, Miranda nodded, "Girls, go ahead and wash up, show Andrea where the downstairs restroom is, and then show her to the dinning room. I'll put away her coat, and then I need to feed Patricia upstairs before we can start dinner."

"Sure," her girls answered together as they each took one of Andrea's hands, and pulled her away, chattering away about what was going on in their lives.

Miranda took a deep breath and hung up the coat in the hallway closet before she made her way up to the third floor, where Patricia was waiting for her.

"Come, Patricia, dinner," she said as she walked to the mini fridge in her room, and removed Patricia's cold chicken dinner. Taking the bowl into her huge suite bathroom, she unwrapped the bowl, and set it down onto the floor.

Patricia padded over, and sat down at her feet, looking up with big eyes and lolled her tongue out of her mouth, making Miranda chuckle, "All right, you big softy," she murmured before squatting down and wrapping her arms around the big dog and pressing kisses onto the dog's head, "dinner, Patricia, and stay upstairs."

Standing, she waited to make sure that Patricia started eating, before she made her way back downstairs.

/DWP/

Andy smiled brightly as the twins took animated turns in sharing how their weeks had gone. They had the perfect pattern down, and only once had to pause to have a brief argument about who was going to share a certain story.

Miranda hadn't even been absent for a full five minutes, but the whirlwind girls had sped through their detailed descriptions with full force, and Andy couldn't help but smile with joy. She always thought that she smiled a lot, she made sure of it, but around the twins the smiles came with such ease that it surprised her how comfortable she felt with the girls, and even with their mother… despite her consistently growing affections for the older woman that were always making her nerves jump and sputter.

However, she couldn't find it in herself to be nervous at the moment, because the girls were so full of happy energy, and smiles, and giggles. They wanted her here, and she found herself truly wanting to be here. Not just for the girls, but for Miranda as well. Maybe, just maybe, she could take this and make an effort to befriend the older woman. A romantic relationship was out of the question, but she would take what she could get, and she would work for at least a sliver of what her heart wanted.

The twins were wonderful, bright girls, and Miranda trusted her to sit with them at the dinning table, alone, in their home. It was a beautiful feeling, and Andy could feel her heart soaring with hope.

"Mom made her famous turkey stroganoff for dinner! It's the best!" Cassidy exclaimed with bright eyes and a happy smile.

"Our cook, and housekeeper, is super good, but even she agrees that her attempts at Mom's turkey stroganoff are futile," Caroline smiled and giggled.

Andy listened intently as they chattered about what they were having for dinner, and found herself wondering why Caroline would say 'Momma' when addressing Miranda, but not when talking to other people about her mother, "Raspberry ice cream cheesecake?" She asked when Caroline had said what was for dessert.

"Yea! It's our favorite, and it's considered a special treat. We don't get to eat it very often, because there is so much sugar." Cassidy said with a light frown.

"Diabetes runs in the family, so Mom is really careful with our diets so that if diabetes becomes a problem, then we don't have to throw our entire lives into a wreck by having to change our diets."

Andy felt her eyes widening, and forced them to blink instead… she had no idea that diabetes ran in the Priestly family… "Well then, I'm honored to be able to try it this evening."

"Mom should be down soon. Patricia is a serious Momma's girl, and refuses to eat unless she gets a hug and a kiss, so there's a whole routine."

"Would you like some water? Mom has a white wine to go with the dinner, for you two, but I can get a glass of water if you'd like one too," Caroline smiled and stood up from the table.

"No need, Caroline, you two stay and chat with Andrea, I'll bring out dinner," Miranda's voice smoothed over Andy's ears, and she turned her head to see the silver-white-haired woman smiling at Caroline.

"Okay, Momma. Sure you don't want help?"

"I'll be fine, thank you, Bobbsey." Miranda replied before turning slightly, and Andrea felt the older woman's attention shift to her, "Andrea, would you like a glass of water to accompany dinner?"

"Please," she smiled, "thank you."

Miranda nodded to her, "Of course," before making her way into the kitchen, leaving Andrea with the girls again. It was such a wonderful out of body experience to see Miranda being a kind host, and not the cold-hearted fashion maven, and Andrea could feel her heart beating stronger with feelings of admiration and care for the other woman.

"Thanks again, Andy, for dancing with us," Andy was pulled out of her thoughts by Cassidy's words.

"Yea, it was a lot of fun, and thanks for coming to dinner."

Andy smiled, "You are both very welcome, and I'm glad to be here. You two are great storytellers. It's nice to hear about how school is going for you."

"It's really nice to have you actually interested. Most people we talk to don't want to hear about it," Cassidy grumbled.

Caroline nodded, "Yea, they're all crotchety and cranky and old, and don't want to deal with kids."

Andy sputtered with laughter, "Oh no, that's horrible."

The twins scowled at her, "Don't laugh, it's not funny."

Andy shook her head, "No, but it reminds me of this staff party I attended with my father. He's a lawyer, and trust me, if you think the people you have run into are cranky and crotchety, I have you topped."

"No way," Cassidy argued, "we have you beat."

Andy shook her head, "At least you two have each other. My parents were busy schmoozing and socializing. I sneezed, and got glared at by eight people who told me to not interrupt their conversation. I was nine! My big brother was fourteen, and he was able to get out of going because of some friends."

Miranda returned with a hand tray that had several glasses on it. She set it down and handed out the drinks- grape juice and water for the twins, a glass of water and a glass of wine for Andrea and herself, "I'll be right back with the food."

"Thank you, Miranda," Andy smiled as she took the wine and water from the older woman before Miranda disappeared into the kitchen again.

"Mom uses special serving utensils, to help with monitoring our eating, but don't worry about it," Cassidy smiled, and the subject was officially changed from crotchety old people.

Caroline nodded her agreement, "Mom may say otherwise, but she has a real issue with so many of her models not eating healthy. It's really hard for her though. She's been trying to come up with ways to start changing it."

"A friend of ours ended up in the hospital for an eating disorder, and then so did one of her models. It totally didn't go over well."

"It's interesting-" Caroline closed her mouth quickly, and Andy knew why- she could feel Miranda's presence behind her.

"What's interesting?" Andy heard her say before she saw the older woman out of the corner of her eye, with a white hot dish in her hands.

Andy looked at her, and came to a quick solution, "Soccer. I used to play."

"Oh?" Miranda raised an immaculate eyebrow as she set the dish down onto a cloth pad on the table.

Andy looked to the girls and winked, and they both smiled, "Yea, she said she was really good."

"Really? How long did you play for?" Miranda asked.

"For eight years. I stopped just before high school?"

"How come?" Cassidy questioned.

"Was it cause the high school team was bad? Did you not have a club team?" Caroline jumped in.

Andy shook her head, "I was on the club team. I don't think the reason why I stopped is really a dinner worthy story though." But maybe she would bring it up with Miranda, it may help the other woman with her conflictions.

Miranda made a soft humming noise before she turned and headed back to the kitchen, "I'm just grabbing the salad and green beans, then we can start dinner."

"Mom does Yoga, and Pilates. She also used to do some ballroom dancing."

"Many people don't even realize exactly how much time she puts into staying healthy and in shape, even though she drinks way too much coffee," Caroline giggled, her eyes sparkling with childish joy.

Andy felt intrigued, she knew that her boss had to be doing something physically active to stay in such great shape, but she hadn't been exactly aware of what it was, "As the assistant who has made more than enough coffee runs, I'm pretty sure I know how much she drinks."

Cassidy giggled, "Drinks? More like inhales. She may sip at it, when there are others around, but she is totally and completely a coffee gulper. It's hotter than anything, and she will chug it."

Caroline bit at her lip, "Hi, Momma."

Andy stiffened slightly. She hadn't even realized that Miranda had returned to the dinning room. She was so enthralled with listening and talking with the girls, it was as if her Miranda alarm had shut itself off. She turned her head to watch a smile twitch at the older woman's lips, "Girls, Andrea does not need to hear about my addiction to caffeine, and coffee drinking habits."

"Seriously, we aren't kidding, though. Mom, you chug crazy hot coffee like it's iced tea," Cassidy smiled at her mother, and Andy felt her heart skip a jump at the smile Miranda returned to the teen.

Miranda set the green beans, and the salad onto the table, before she took her seat at the head of the table, "I'm sorry for the delay."

Andy smiled at her, "It's no problem, thank you, Miranda."

"Shall we begin, then?" Miranda asked with a flourish of her hand towards the dishes on the table.

"Yes!" The twins exclaimed, each grabbing for a different dish.

Caroline looked at Andy and smiled, "How much salad do you want? It's really good. Like we said, fresh greens from the greenhouse, and garden, in the back, and Mom's homemade vinaigrette."

Andy held back a chuckle as Cassidy continued, despite how she had already been told this information about dinner, "The strawberries too. They're a great complement to the vinaigrette."

"It sounds wonderful." Andy flashed a smile towards Miranda, before turning her attention back to the twins, "Caroline, I'll take a small serving to start. I can always have seconds."

Caroline took the utensils in the salad bowl and scooped some onto her plate as Cassidy grinned, "Only if Mom doesn't finish it off before you get back to it. She is a salad eating machine."

Andy laughed, "Oh really?"

Caroline and Cassidy both nodded, "She likes a good steak, but she can eat six or seven servings of salad all on her own. In one sitting." Caroline said as she put some salad onto her own plate, then her sister's plate, before she handed it to her mother.

Miranda scoffed as she took the bowl from her daughter, "I could only ever eat that much food in one sitting when I was pregnant with you two monsters."

Cassidy giggled, "Well, you love us, so don't complain."

Andy watched a sad smile spread across her boss's lips as she spoke, "I love you two with my whole heart, I never regret having you."

Caroline made a gagging noise, "Momma, we have guest! Don't get all sappy on us, you're going to make us cry!"

Andy shook her head, "Don't do that," she admonished lightly, not being able to keep her mouth shut, "because one day you're going to regret it. You may think it to be embarrassing, but trust me, as you grow up, you're going to wish that your mother said it every single second of every single day. Hearing your mother or your father tell you that they love you, is the most precious phrase to hear. It makes you feel happy, and it puts a smile on your face. It reminds you how, no matter what, they will always be there for you. I'm almost thirty and I call my dad every night to tell him that I love him, and to hear him say it in return. To be reminded of how much someone loves you should never be undermined, even if you think it was a little sappy." She gave the girls a smile, and swallowed at the unreadable expression on Miranda's face as the older woman stared at her.

A moment passed before Cassidy broke the silence, "How long has it been since you last saw your parents?" Grabbing the serving spoon next to the stroganoff, Andy watched Cassidy put some onto her plate, before she answered.

"I haven't seen my mother for six years, and I haven't seen my father for almost a year and a half," she answered softly.

Caroline grabbed the stroganoff from her sister, and put some onto her plate, then put some onto Andy's, "How come?"

Andy silently cursed at her inability to keep her trap shut. She really brought on the shit pile this time, "My mother passed away, and I'm very busy, so I haven't been able to return to Ohio to see my dad."

"Bobbsey, darling, hand me the stroganoff, please," Miranda slipped in, reaching her hand out for the dish that her daughter was holding.

"Sure," Caroline said, handing it over before grabbing the green beans, "Andy, how much of the green beans do you want?"

Andy smiled, "Put some on my plate, and I'll eat it."

Cassidy smiled and spoke as Caroline served out the green beans before handing the dish to her mother, "Do you like cats or dogs better?"

Andy laughed, and that was that… the somber awkwardness from her confessions was put behind them, and they continued on with a wonderfully pleasant dinner that was accompanied by laughter and fun stories, even from the Ice Queen herself.

/DWP/

Miranda felt an easy smile toying with her lips. She hadn't been this relaxed in another adult's presence in quite a long time, and despite the nerves of it, and the fear… she found a tiny bit of herself truly enjoying the free feeling that she had.

Andrea had told a few silly stories about her childhood, and her older brother, that had Miranda desperate to learn more about the beautiful woman. Cassidy and Caroline had shared tales of drama from school, and pranks they had played on assistants or unsuspecting nosy news reporters.

Miranda had even told a story about how the girls had been so distraught in going to school when they first started kindergarten, because during their younger years, Miranda had brought them to the _Runway_ offices every day. The reason being that whenever she had left the girls with the Nanny, she always received a call around noon from a sobbing Nanny about how the twins still hadn't stopped crying.

Miranda had chuckled as she explained that the Nanny had even taken to wrapping herself up in Miranda's perfume scented clothes in order to try and convince the girls of Miranda's presence. When nothing had worked over the course of a week, Miranda had finally given in. The Nanny would come with her to work, and take care of the girls in the office. It had been a relief to the Nanny, to Miranda's conscience, and to the girls. Miranda had taken to humming while working, and the girls remained blissfully silent as the Nanny cared for them.

Andy had laughed and it had caused Miranda's heart to squeeze with happiness. Miranda made sure to keep the story light, despite the heavy undertones of her girls' early years, and it paid off by the continued airiness to the atmosphere, even after they had finished eating and had moved into the comfort of the sitting room.

"You did what!" Cassidy and Caroline gasped, dragging Miranda from her internal musing as she focused on Andrea's response.

"My brother was absolutely furious, but he deserved it. He had completely embarrassed me in front of his friends, so I paid him back. It was the best, and I still don't regret it. He didn't speak to me for a few months, but after our parents got involved, we became the best of friends."

_What had she done?_ Miranda scowled to herself. She had allowed her thoughts to drift and had missed something.

"You seriously told all his friends?"

Miranda watched a devilish smirk claim Andrea's lips as she took a small sip from her glass of wine, "I most definitely told all his friends about how he didn't stop wetting the bed until he was twelve. It was the sweetest revenge I'd ever gotten."

A burst of laughter tumbled from her lips as she heard the words, and a thought of her girls from when they were two and a half came to mind. Realizing her outburst, Miranda clamped her mouth shut, feeling a blush creep up her neck and across her cheeks as her daughters and Andrea looked at her, "Momma?" Caroline cocked her head to the side.

Miranda simply shook her head, "Not a thought I'm sharing Bobbsey, you wouldn't appreciate it."

"What is it, Mom?" Cassidy asked, the look in her eyes just as intrigued as her sister's.

"Not something I think you would like to be shared," she answered cryptically.

"Mo-om! What is it?" Cassidy pouted, scrambling up from the floor to curl into her left side, "Please?"

Miranda shook her head playfully, "No, I honestly do not think you want me to share the thought I had..."

Caroline scurried over to curl into Miranda's right, "Please, Momma? We want to know!"

"Well, Bobbseys, only if you truly want to know. You may not be very happy with me sharing it."

"Mom! Stop teasing us! What is it?"

"We want to know!"

Miranda felt triumphant with her jostling of the girls' interest. She didn't even feel the slightest bit of guilt as she opened her mouth to tell what she had thought of- after all, she had warned them they would not like her sharing her thoughts, "I was just thinking of a pair of two and a half year olds who both thought that sticking their hands into their diapers and tasting what they had discovered would be a good idea."

Her heart soared with joy as Andrea spluttered into a fit of loud laughter, and her daughters' faces contorted into disgust.

"Oh, gross!"

"Momma, no!"

"That's disgusting!"

"Why did you say that!"

Miranda felt a wide grin spread across her face, "Bobbseys, my darlings, I told you that you may not want me share, but you both insisted," she feigned innocence.

She glanced from her girls to Andrea, whose laughter only increased as she stuttered out, "Oh God… that- their faces… that was… good."

Chuckling, she held her daughters to her sides and pressed a kiss to both of their heads before she found her chuckles turning into joyous laughter. Andrea had tears spilling from her eyes she was laughing so hard, and it stirred something within Miranda at the thought that she had been the cause of Andrea's happy laughter.

Her girls pouted up at her, "Stop laughing, it isn't funny!" They chorused, and Miranda found her laughter calm, even as Andrea continued- though it was slowly, as the brunette wiped the laugh tears from her cheeks.

She glanced at the clock- it was nearly ten, "On that note, Bobbseys, it's getting late, and you two are getting grouchy. Say your good nights, and go get ready for bed. I'll be up in a few minutes." Andrea's laughing had stopped, but the goofy smile on her face hadn't, as the girls sighed and did as they were told.

Caroline wrapped her arms around Andrea for a quick hug, "Good night, Andy."

Miranda smiled lightly as she watched Andrea gave her daughter a hug back, "Good night, Caroline."

Cassidy shifted forward when Caroline had released Andrea, and gave the woman a hug as well, "Night, Andy."

Andrea returned the hug, "Good night, Cassidy."

"Thanks for a great time, we had a lot of fun," the girls said together before they both quickly pressed kisses to Andrea's cheeks- clearly surprising the brunette just as much as it surprised Miranda.

"I had a great time too, girls, thanks for having me," Andrea replied, her eyes crinkling with mirth, and her lips upturned into one of the happiest smiles Miranda had ever seen on the younger woman.

Her daughter turned to her, "Night, Mom(ma)."

"We'll see you upstairs."

"Thanks for inviting Andy over."

Miranda smiled and accepted brief hugs and kisses from her daughters, "Of course, my darlings. I'm so glad you had a good evening. I'll be up in a few minutes. Be sure to brush you teeth extra well," she said before she shooed her daughters from the sitting room, waiting until she heard their footsteps ascend the stairs to look to her guest.

"Miranda, thank you, I had a great time."

She nodded, and grabbed her phone, sending a text to the cab company manager to send a car to her home as she spoke- her eyes only flicking down to the text twice before returning to look at Andrea, "I enjoyed this evening very much, and it was wonderful to see my girls having so much fun. Thank you, for coming. It's getting rather late, and I do need to tuck my girls in, so I'll walk you out."

Standing, she smiled as Andrea did the same, "Of course, no problem."

Miranda led the way to the front door, and stopped at the closet to grab Andrea's coat, silently helping Andrea slip into it before she spoke, "Perhaps you'd be interested in doing this again?" She asked.

Andrea turned and looked at her with wide eyes, "Really? Yes, I would."

Miranda smiled lightly, "Maybe next time I won't have to rush you out the door so quickly. The girls are wonderful company, but there are definitely times when they shouldn't be privy to adult conversations."

Her heart skipped a beat at the beautiful smile that lit up Andrea's face, "I would enjoy that, Miranda."

"Don't even think about taking the subway tonight, a cab will be here shortly and I'll reimburse you Monday at the office."

"No, it's fine, really-"

Miranda scowled, "No, no. That was not a suggestion. It is much too late for you to be walking to the subway. I've already sent for a cab, because the company is closer than Roy's apartment, and I don't wish to deprive you of much deserved sleep."

Andrea opened her mouth- the look in her eyes telling Miranda that the brunette was going to resist again- and Miranda narrowed her gaze. The mouth shut with a sigh before opening again, "All right. Thank you, Miranda. Now go on and get your girls to bed, I'll see myself out when the cab gets here."

Miranda felt her heart sink at the thought of ending the magical night, "Are you sure?"

Andrea nodded, "They need to get to sleep, so go ahead. I'll be fine. Thank you, again, for such a great time. Your cooking was delicious."

Miranda nodded in return, "Thank you, for the compliment, and for the wonderful evening. I will see you on Monday."

"Good night, Miranda."

Miranda felt herself smiling softly, "Good night, Andrea," she replied before turning and heading up the stairs, leaving her guest in her foyer, and feeling her heart pump with hope.

Hope that maybe, if she truly tried, she could create a friendship with the younger woman. Hope, that if she fought against her habits to push people away, she could find happiness with the brunette that had been sorely lacking in her life, even despite her beautiful and loving daughters.

Maybe, if she didn't mess it all up by being The Devil in Heels, she could let the brunette into her life, and they could make it work… like her daughters were hoping she would.

* * *

**A/N: So there it is :)**

**Oh... and if it continues, this dinner will be mentioned, and things said during this dinner will be discussed.**

**Just letting all you fabulous people know...**

**I'm working on a (long) one-shot that is also Mirandy, and I don't know when it will be up, but keep your eyes open for it.**

**It's gonna be titled: The Soldier.**

**In case you were wondering.**

**Reviews are welcome, and appreciated! Thank you all for the positive comments, and I'm really glad that the first chapter was a hit! :D**

**For now, I'm going to leave this story as 'complete' but I might change it later. AND I'm going to leave it as K+, but if I continue, that is DEFINITELY gonna change... most likely to M.**

**Love lots, **

**CBC**


	3. Double Check

**A/N: Okay... so here's the third installment.**

**In this chapter I have added that Andrea struggled (struggles) with Anorexia and Bulimia. It will not be some major 'plot device' where she is going to relapse or something like that. That is not the focus that I want this story to take on. It is _NOT_ the focus of this story, but it will play it's part (NOT by Andrea's relapsing).**

**There won't be any gruesome or graphic telling of her anorexic/bulimic habits, but she will eventually discuss it with Miranda: what made her do it, how she started getting help, etc.**

**I don't have first hand experience with the disorders, but my best friend, who I love with my whole heart, has. So I speak with her about it, and have been there during her hospitalizations. I myself struggle with my own addictions to self-harm, so I am familiar with addictive behavior, and how it can be very mind consuming. So this is not some 'thing' I'm adding into a story without knowledge and understanding.**

**I will be writing about the disorder with a respectable understanding, and caring. (Not for the disorder, but for those who suffer from it)**

**That being said, I hope you believe I do it justice.**

**It is absolutely not my intent to disrespect the struggles of anyone with an addiction or disorder. In any of my stories, that is not my purpose. So, I truly hope I do it justice, and that is viewed for what it is: A statement about how society and people affect how a person feels and thinks. How that can be detrimental to the health and the stability of the person effected, and it can/will forever be a part of that person's life.  
It will show how someone can come to understand how words can be hurtful and damaging more than they expected or wanted it to hurt someone.  
It will show how someone with an addiction, or disorder has trained and adjusted their words to not give clues to their struggles, but give the idea that 'everything is fine'. (Like in the previous chapter: when the twins were asking about how much food she wanted)**

**That being said, I don't know when I'll get another installment up. I'm almost done with The Soldier, the fic I had mentioned in Chapter 2's a/n. And I have about 1500 words solid for Have A Heart. I was about 3000 words in and I realized that I was not happy with part of it, so I deleted it and will be starting again. I'm not sure when it will be updated either.  
**

**Oh, and it has officially been changed to M. (Though I really feel this chapter is only T, I'm going to put M, cause there will be M chapters in the future, and some people would consider this chapter to be M.)**

**Sorry (not sorry) for the long note, (it needed to be addressed).**

**All my love,**

**CBC**

* * *

"Your incompetent muttering is not going to get the work done, Sarah. You have fifteen minutes to fix this disaster. That's all," Miranda turned away and waved towards her office door, sighing as she heard the fluttering of feet escaping.

"Coffee, Miranda?"

Her head jerked up to see Andrea standing just inside her office, "Yes."

Andrea disappeared as Miranda sat down, then reappeared just as she was slipping her glasses onto her nose, "Nice and hot."

"Hmm. At least someone has a brain today. Scar-"

"They're with Nigel. You already approved a backdrop, so I gave them to Nigel so he can sort the scarves. You're still going to see all of them, but there was no order them. It would be a waste of time to bring them in here the way they were. So Nigel is putting some order to them. That opens up these fifteen minutes until Sarah gets back, for you to double check the article that is going with the Cartoro shoot. Sarah will come back, I'll get the scarves back from Nigel, and the make-up and jewelry from Serena and Jerry, and I'll return with it all for you to appraise when you're finished with Sarah."

Miranda felt a twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth, "Get me Dollenagar, I need his answer on the second set of files I sent him. That's all."

Andrea nodded, smiled, and turned around to leave, "He's on line four, and the article is on the left of your desk, third folder down, fifth paper on the right side. Thirteen minutes."

"Be sure that the girls have-"

"Bags are packed and set for their weekend with Tamara, Patricia is being picked up at three, she'll be back at the townhouse at three thirty, giving Roy plenty of time to be here to pick you up at four-fifteen for the meeting with Vivian. Twelve minutes," Andrea moved out of the office to her own desk.

"This is why I haven't sent you off some place, you silly girl," Miranda muttered as she pulled out the file that had the article she needed.

"It's also why you just so happened to raised my salary," Miranda hid her startled, amused, reaction with an eye roll as she removed the article from the file, grabbed her pen, and picked up the phone.

"Robert, what were your thoughts on the agreement of the second file."

/DWP/

The next morning, after the rather entertaining quips shared with Miranda, Andy ran her fingers through the tips of her hair as she sat down, "Hi, Sheryl."

"Andy, how have you been doing this past month."

"I've been okay. Work is busy, but I've long since caught up with the madness."

"You're still with _Runway_."

Andy nodded, "Still with Miranda at _Runway_, yes."

"Three years."

"Yes. It's been very beneficial. I may not be doing too much writing, but I have gotten a little bit of freelance work in, and my salary has been raised twice. She is an incredibly difficult boss, and we have gone through some crazy situations, but I have learned so much, so I'm glad I'm still there."

"Even after the beginning?"

Andy nodded again. She understood how important this part of the therapy was for her, but it was still irksome to go through it, "Even after the beginning. It's the same thing I said last month, and the... all the months before that."

Her therapist chuckled, "I'm aware, but we both know that this is a war that you will be fighting the rest of your life."

Andy nodded, "I know. I do."

"You haven't dropped any more weight, have you?"

"I fluctuate a little, but my doctor told me that so long as I don't drop ten under then I'm still in my safe zone. I'm properly watching my calorie intake, and when I dropped from a six to a four three years ago, I did it the healthy way… unlike when I became a two last year. But I'm back to a size four, and plan to stay here."

"I know, Andy, but it's important for this to be a constant discussion. We cannot let it get away from us. You've been my patient since you moved from Ohio four and a half years ago, and we have been fortunate we only had a couple severe relapses since then. You're doing extremely well with your recovery."

"Well, you'd think that after all these years-"

"No, don't say what I know you're going to say. Recovery is never a one-time deal, Andy. It will last your entire life. You can go for twenty-seven years and then find yourself slipping back into dangerous habits. It happens. It's an addiction, and addictions take constant work, especially in your field. You may not be a model, but you are completely surrounded by the atmosphere. Miranda has called you fat, as well as several of your colleagues, and one of them addresses you as the number 'six' which is a reference to your weight. It is a continuous battle."

"I know," Andy sighed, curling her legs under her bottom, "I know, Sheryl. Anorexia and bulimia are not just some things I can just shovel under the carpet. I have the scars and body malfunctions to prove it. It doesn't mean it's not a drag to go through this all the time."

"You do have the scars, but you're still alive, and you've been doing very well with taking charge and not allowing people to get to you. Have you been doing anything outside of work?"

"Doug and I are still friendly. It's still complicated, because he's still speaking with Lily and Nate, but I'm happy that he's willing to put in some effort as well. I have lunch or drink dates with some of my colleagues fairly often. Oh, I had a dinner a few weeks ago."

"You did? How did it go?"

Andy smiled, "Well, other than my rambling mouth, it went really, super well. I had a great time. A better time than I was expecting. The food was delicious, absolutely amazing. It was very healthy, and tasteful. I even took a larger portion of dessert than I normally do. I returned home with a smile on my face, and didn't throw it up. I ate a good meal, well proportioned with a little extra dessert, and I went home without feeling heavy or fat. I went home without the thoughts that I needed to purge the extra sugar. In fact, I woke up the next day hoping that I could go back."

Her therapist smiled, "That's wonderful. I'm very proud of you. That shows how great you're doing. Where did you eat?"

"You know how last month I told you about the little dance party that I did?"

Sheryl nodded, "Yes, Miranda's twins were at the event and you took them down and danced with them."

"Well, the girls were so thankful, they convinced Miranda to have me for dinner a couple weeks later. Miranda cooked the dinner herself, and we- the four of us- got along very well. She is a wonderful cook, the food was spectacular. It was a totally pleasant evening. I also learned from the twins that Miranda is struggling with her views of the models, and is trying to figure out a way to begin to fix it."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I'm hoping that maybe I can start slipping tidbits around that will help push her to do so. I think if anyone has a chance of starting the ball rolling, it would be Miranda."

"So if Miranda were to ask you to dinner again, what would you say?"

"I would say yes. I really think I would. She's still a very distant person, and she still runs me ragged with little acknowledgement, but it was a wonderful evening. She… she is so human when she is with her girls. She smiles, and laughs. They are her light and joy, and she doesn't let people take that away from her. She loves them with her whole heart, and to be in the presence of her being so kind was truly great. When the evening ended, she even said that it might happen again, because she's thankful that I made her girls smile after their father was rather rude and canceled plans on them. Her girls absolutely loved having me over, and loved listening to my stories. I would absolutely say yes to another evening like that."

"I'm glad to hear it. This is most definitely something to look into further, depending on how it progresses, if it does."

Andy nodded, "I was really shocked. She asked me to dinner. She didn't command me to come, or order me to show up. She legitimately asked me if I was busy and if I would like to come to dinner. She explained herself. She told me why. It was like a dream. A really good dream, mind you, but a dream none-the-less. I'm glad I said yes, and I hope that it happens again."

"Wonderful. What would you want to happen at a second evening?"

"I loved hearing about the girls, and how they were when they were younger. They're really animated at telling stories, and it's fun to listen to. It's a bit of a whirlwind, because they are constantly jumping back and forth between who is telling the story, but they're good at it. There is an order to how they cut each other off to continue the story. Miranda told a few stories as well, from when the twins were too young to remember, and I loved seeing the care in her eyes. I would really enjoy hearing more stories about how they grew up. I told some fun stories about my childhood, with my brother, and it was fun to hear their reactions. Honestly, I would want the second evening to happen just like the first, but with different stories. It was a wonderful dinner with a friendly ending. Miranda called for a cab, actually she texted for a cab, and walked me to the foyer. She got me my coat, and helped me into it, then told me to wait for the cab. Her daughters had already gone upstairs, and she needed to get them to bed, so she bid me good night and went upstairs."

She smiled and opened her mouth to continue when her phone rang out, "Oh, shit."

"It's all right, go ahead and answer it," Sheryl gave her a smile.

Digging her phone from her bag, Andy grimaced, "One second?"

"Sure."

"Hello, Miranda?" Andy answered the phone.

"Where are you?" Miranda snapped.

"I'm not in the office-"

"I can see that! This, this moronic nimrod is getting nothing done. Where are you, and why are you not in."

"Miranda, I'll be in in an hour. My notes are on my desk, and the moronic nimrod is doing exactly as I told her to do. So she may not be getting all the big things done, but that's because it's all been taken care of. The only thing that has been done wrong is that she hasn't been able to tell you that everything is on my desk. So, tell her to give you all my notes and folders, and everything will be back on track. You have a meeting in five, so drink some water, flip through the first file, and then get to your meeting."

"If you aren't here in forty-five minutes-"

"You'll fire me. I know, Miranda. I'll be there."

"That's all," Miranda huffed before hanging up on her.

Andy rolled her eyes and put her phone down, and Sheryl chuckled, "Seems as though you have quite the leash."

"Yes, well, all she needed to do was take a second to listen to the second assistant. But, no matter, it's been taken care of."

"Unless you don't show up in forty-five minutes," Sheryl raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, that's an empty threat. If she had followed through on the million times she'd said that, I would have been fired over a million times. There are plenty of people that really must follow the orders, and I was one of them my first year, but she has given me a raise in salary because though I am disposable, she would prefer not to have to dispose of me."

"Well, I know you still have a few more minutes on the clock, but how about I send you on your way a little early."

Andy laughed, "Okay. Same day and time next month?"

"Same day and time. Second Tuesday at eight thirty."

"All right," they both stood, "I'll see you next month."

"Call if something changes."

"I will."

Sheryl gave her a brief hug, "Good to see you doing well."

"I'll see you next month," Andy smiled before exiting from the office and hurrying to the street, where she picked up a cab back to the Elias-Clarke building.

/DWP/

"Miranda," Andrea said as the older woman came back into the office from her meeting.

"Where were you?"

"I have the second Tuesday of every month set into the calendar that I come in late, as you should be well aware, Miranda. Was everything as it should have been once you got the files from my desk?"

Miranda pursed her lips at the tone her assistant took with her, "You were needed in the office."

"I took care of what was needed, as I always do. I had it on my desk, as I always have, every second Tuesday of the month."

"Where were you?"

"I was out of the office."

Miranda narrowed her eyes, and dropped her purse and coat onto the second assistants desk before continuing into her office, "Where?"

"Out, as I always have been, for the past two years, every second Tuesday of the month," Andrea answered cryptically as the brunette followed her into the office.

"Where?" Miranda snapped.

"Where I always go, Miranda, after I ensure that my work is thoroughly prepared and set out. Though, after today I'm debating whether or not I should leave all the work on your desk instead of mine."

"This discussion is not over with. Get me Testino."

"Yes, Miranda," Andrea replied before swiftly exiting the room to make the call.

/DWP/

Andy practically gnawed on her bottom lip as she sifted through files and reports that were to be distributed accordingly to their proper departments.

Why was Miranda suddenly so concerned about her whereabouts?

It had been this way for almost two full years of her time at _Runway_. The first year her appointments were a scattered mess… not that Miranda ever knew that… but it completely threw her for a dangerous ride. She had been precarious in her weight loss, and had fought every bone in her aching body not to slip into bad habits as she lost her size six and became a size four. Then her handle started to fall, and she became a sickly size two using weights and clothing pads to not make her weight loss apparent. Her therapist demanded that she set out a permanent date and time for her appointments, or Andy would be spending time in the hospital again.

Andy had been able to regain her lost weight without any overnight hospital stays, and was presently going steady with almost six months of proper eating, without purging.

Part of her was thrilled that Miranda was seemingly concerned. While another part of her was terrified.

This… dare she say… budding friendship was still definitely in a very fragile state. There had still only been the one dinner, and no signs or words yet of another, other than the dialogue shared after the dinner.

Miranda was still cold and precise. She wasn't going easy on her, in fact with the deadline creeping close, and business trips looming close, Miranda was cracking the whip rather mercilessly.

Not that she ever assumed that should a friendship develop, Miranda would give her less to do… Andy wasn't stupid, she understood that Miranda would not show favoritism. She didn't show Nigel any, so there was no reason to every dream of Miranda showing her any.

So what had made Miranda so concerned about her absence?

Andy's stomach churned with nerves and she took a deep breath. Nerves became purging.

Steeling her body, she took a deep breath. Miranda was merely concerned about her whereabouts because important papers were in the stack that Miranda had not gotten until she called Andy. Miranda was the employer, Andy the employee, and the employer had had a moment of stark frustration. It had been dealt with, and any catastrophes had been avoided.

Andy nodded firmly and shuffled through the papers once more before she grabbed the first set and headed to the lingerie department.

/DWP/

Miranda settled her glasses on her nose, and scanned through the photos that had been brought to her. Marking them with ease, she sorted and filtered them down into piles that were to her liking.

Picking three, she flicked through them again, and resorted, as she felt an eyebrow beginning to rise on her forehead.

A good shot.

She flicked through and resorted again.

A very good turn out.

Thumbing through them once more, she resorted them once more.

Astounding work.

"Andrea," she called out.

A quick shuffle was her reply, before Andrea popped into the office, "Yes, Miranda."

"It seems that for once someone did some very competent work," she murmured as she divided the photos into their final sets and slipped them all into specific envelopes, "this shoot will not be redone. Have these delivered as the norm."

Andrea stepped forward and grabbed the envelopes from her outstretched hand, "Yes, Miranda."

Miranda hummed a soft response, before looking up, "Are you free next Wednesday evening?"

Andrea froze for a moment, and her brow furrowed in a very ador- Miranda shook her head, and swallowed. She flushed her train of thought and replaced it with plans for the Armani shoot that still needed to be done.

"I don't believe I have anything that evening."

"Do double check, and then get back to me on whether or not you can accompany my daughters and me for dinner at the townhouse again. They are intrigued to hear more stories."

A bright smile lit up Andrea's face as her assistant nodded, "If my schedule is free, I would love to attend. I will double check, and get back to you after I deliver the envelopes to their appropriate hands."

"Good. That's all. Emily," she changed gears as Andrea exited the office and the second assistant- the moronic nimrod whose actual name was Zelilen- came fumbling in.

"Yes, Miranda?"

Miranda grabbed a stack of work and began to leaf through it as she ran off a list of directives for the girl to follow through, feeling joyous with the frantic look the girl presented.

Andrea may be a superb superior assistant, and was quite good at ensuring the second assistants didn't completely screw up… though she never did trust another second assistant to come into her home- that was for Andrea only now that Emily had been promoted to the British Branch… but it was still a great thrill to watch their faces pale at the amount of words that flew from her mouth without pause.

Keeping a sly grin from gracing her lips, she flicked her gaze to her second assistant, "That's all," she finished coldly.

"Yes, Miranda," Zelilen floundered her way out of the office to complete her orders, leaving Miranda alone for a brief moment to contemplate what she was going to make for dinner if Andrea was free for dinner in eight days time.

/DWP/

Andy smiled as the door flung open before she had even stepped onto the front stoop, and she had two redheaded girls clumped against her, giggling as they cried out, "Andy!"

Laughing, she wrapped the girls into a warm embrace, "Hi, girls."

"Come on! Mom said that we could play a quick game of DDR before dinner." Cassidy exclaimed, retracting from the hug only to tug firmly on Andrea's hand.

"Mom made this duck roast with a rosemary and thyme seasoning. With garlic mashed potatoes, and a Russian green salad," Caroline smiled as she took Andy's other hand, and they dragged a smiling brunette into the house and towards the stairs, not even giving her time to inhale the sent of the food cooking.

Andy froze, somewhat wary of going up the stairs, "Girls, wait, hold on. I need to take off my coat, and I'd be a horrible guest if I didn't say a quick hello to your mother."

"Momma! Andy's here!" Caroline hollered.

Miranda's cool, icy tone flittered out to them, "Do not yell in the house. Be sure to hang her coat, and have her remove her heels. Patricia is upstairs."

Cassidy stuck a hand out to Andy, "I'll take your coat."

Caroline pointed to the little table by the door, "Your shoes go under there. Don't worry, Patricia isn't a shoe chewer."

Cassidy giggled, "Not after she got hold of a pair of Mom's nine hundred dollar Prada heels."

Andy laughed as she removed her coat, and slipped out of her heels as Caroline spoke, "Yea. The glare Mom gave her… well, it would have been enough to make the entire American Government do whatever she wanted. Patricia had never looked so scared, and she's Mom's third baby."

"Sometimes, we think she pampers Patricia extra, just to ensure the deep sense of loyalty never strays," Cassidy took the coat and hung it swiftly in the closet.

"Patricia's loyalties are built from respect. If I can make a beautiful, humongous Saint Bernard like Patricia piddle like a Pomeranian-"

Miranda, who had left the kitchen to join them in the foyer, was unable to finish the sentence before Andy broke out into unabashed hysterics.

Andy looked at her boss through teary eyes, as the older woman gave her a puzzled expression, "Something funny?"

Caroline and Cassidy snickered, and Andy nodded, "Oh my… God, you said… 'piddle,'" she coughed out through her laughter. Leaning over a little, she tried desperately to calm as the twins quickly joined in her laughter.

Miranda let out a little huff, "Yes, well, go on and play your little dance game. Dinner will be ready in no more than fifteen minutes."

The three of them- Andy, Caroline, and Cassidy- all smiled as Miranda turned on her barefoot heel and practically marched back into the kitchen. Andy took a few deep breaths, and soothed her laughing fit, "That was adorable."

Caroline giggled, "She says it a lot."

"Around the house, that is." Cassidy added.

Andy grinned, "Really?" She asked, and received two nods before the twins grabbed her hands and pulled her up the stairs.

"Now let's go play!"

"We're going to do a group dance, so we have time."

"Dinner can't go as late as last time."

"It's a school night."

"But we're glad you're here."

"It's really awesome."

Andy smiled as she continued to listen to the twins' chattering as they all barreled into a beautifully, yet simply- and comfortably, furnished room.

"This is the electronics room."

"Food isn't allowed in here."

"Not even if we have guests for parties."

"So that's why it's connected to the secondary den."

"The food stays in the den."

"If you go to the den to eat, you stay in the den to eat. Then you wash your hands in the bathroom sink, or use the hand wipes."

"It's a rule."

"Mom said that just because we have money, doesn't mean we get to be foolish with our belongings."

Caroline reached into a drawer and pulled out a third controller- as there were two already on a small table in the room, "If we break anything, Mom makes us earn the money to replace it, or get it fixed."

Cassidy nodded, "Mom says that it's important to understand that no matter how much money you have, it's always finite. We get lavish items, and products that aren't out yet, and so on and so forth, but that doesn't mean we get to waste what we have."

"Mom throws a fit if she catches us being snobbish. We may be better off than many people, but that doesn't mean it gives us the right to be rude and inconsiderate of lower class and middle class workers."

"So, we have rules. Here, this one is yours, Andy. It's all hooked up. Ready to play?" Cassidy smiled brightly as she handed Andy the controller that Caroline had removed from the drawer.

Andy felt a little tug within her chest at the spiel the girls had just given her, and she felt a rush of freshly discovered respect for Miranda that she added to the ever-growing pot inside her mind, "Yea." She smiled brightly in return to the girls, "I'm all set. Let's kick some DDR butt."

The twins laughed and they all turned their attention to the screen to pick out a group dance to do before Miranda called them down for dinner.

/DWP/

"Clowns are vile," Miranda shuddered as Andy finished her tale about going to the circus when she was younger.

The twins nodded, "She's not kidding."

"She hates them."

"Completely and utterly will not tolerate them."

Andrea raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" She said before she ate a bite of the cherry tart that had been served for dessert after a delectable meal of the duck, salad, and potatoes.

Cassidy nodded, "Mom, can we tell her the story?"

Miranda glared, "Absolutely not."

Caroline pouted at her, "Momma? Please? It'll be just short enough. It's almost time for us to go to bed."

"No. That story is not to be shared."

"Come on Mom, it's not like you-"

"Cassidy, do not finish that sentence."

Her daughters huffed a little, "But Mom(ma)."

Miranda grinned, "If you wish to tell her the Clown story, then I get to tell a story about when you two were in the third grade. Remember what happened, in the third grade?" She raised a predatory eyebrow and her girls blushed.

"Okay! We won't share!" They chorused eagerly, making Andrea chuckle.

"What happened in the third grade?" The brunette inquired with a teasing smile.

Miranda felt herself returning a small smile, "Afraid I cannot tell you, a deal is a deal."

"No clown story, no third grade story," Cassidy nodded.

"Yup," Caroline piped up.

Andrea laughed, "Well, when I was in the fourth grade I broke my P.E. instructor's nose with a basketball."

Miranda watched her girls' eyes widen before they both began to laugh, "No way!"

"Really. Needless to say, I stuck to soccer. I was much more coordinated with my feet."

Miranda raised an eyebrow at her, "Says my assistant who toppled over while standing after a show at the Paris Fashion Show."

She noted the blush that crept across Andrea's cheeks and smirked when the brunette replied, "My leg had fallen asleep."

"Excuses, excuses, Andrea. Surely, if that was your tactic to cop a feel, you shouldn't have been going after Nigel."

Her girls burst into laughter, "You touched Nigel's butt?"

Miranda nodded to her girls, smiling at the deep red that was now spreading down Andrea's neck, "She did. Two. Whole. Handfuls." She punctuated her words with a sly grin as the girls practically fell from their chairs from laughing so hard.

She glanced at Andrea to feel a pang of worry at the smug look on her face, and took a drink of her wine, unfortunately just as Andrea said, "Well, I could have grabbed a couple of handfuls of you, Miranda."

Wine spluttered from her lips and she choked out a cough when wine went down the wrong pipe. Her girls' faces turned tomato red as their laughter turned into screeching silence, as Andrea leaned back into her chair and gave her a big toothy smile.

Caroline coughed and choked as she tried to speak, "Imag… the… new…sss."

Cassidy sucked in a rattling breath, "Grab…ed… booty!"

Miranda grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped up the spilt wine before dabbing at her mouth as she glared at Andrea, though she could not actually find any anger within herself about the situation. Certainly not with the demented, though happy, chokes of laughter from her girls, and the completely shit-eating grin she was getting from her assistant.

She rolled her eyes, and took a sip of her wine to hide the smile that crossed her lips, before looking to her girls, "All right, when you two have calmed down, go on and get ready for bed, Bobbseys. I'll be up in a few minutes. Don't worry about the dishes, I will deal with them. Andrea, would you care to join me in the study while my two darling seals calm down?"

Andrea chuckled, grabbed her wine glass and stood, "Lead the way."

Miranda stood swiftly, "Of course," she replied, before doing just that.

* * *

**A/N: So, question. Do you want me to write out the little 'one on one time' with Miranda/Andy? Cause I could.**

**I wasn't really planning on it, cause there will be others in the future of this SLOW BURN story, but if it is of some burning necessity to you beautiful readers, then I can be obliging. (And if I don't, it's not as if it hadn't happened. You'll still find out about what was discussed, not just in 'word for word' detail.)**

**Oh... and who wants to know the Clown story? Or the story from The Third Grade?**

**Cause I may be nice... and add them in later... hehe...**

**Well,**

**Reviews are loved and appreciated! :D**

**All my love,**

**CBC**


	4. Drinks

**A/N: WOOT! Here is chapter four! I hope you like it. I'm going to try really hard to get the next chapter up relatively soon, but I've got a ton going on. I've got a whole bunch of stories I'm working on, and fiddling with to get the endings like I want, or whatever it is that I'm working on for specific pieces. So it's all a jumbled mess in my stressed out brain. Cause I'm also dealing with some personal stuff too that's really dragging me down.**

**So, I hope that you like this chapter, and I'll get the next part up soon! (I already have 200 words, so it's a start!)**

**All my love,**

**CBC**

* * *

Get Down Tonight 4

Miranda claimed a seat on the far end of the couch, and motioned for Andrea to take the other, stretching out just enough so that they faced each other, leaning back against the armrests. Taking a sip from her wine glass, she took a deep breath, "I had a wonderful evening. I hope you can say the same?"

Andrea smiled and nodded, "Thank you, I had a really great time. The duck was delicious, Miranda. You're a wonderful cook."

Miranda felt a smile playing with her lips, "I don't get to cook nearly as often as I'd like, so I'm glad I'm still adequate." She swallowed before adding- her voice merely a whisper, "Thank you."

Andrea's smile widened, "So…" she took a sip of her own wine, and Miranda raised an eyebrow, "what's this clown story your girls were so interested in telling me?" Andrea quirked an eyebrow and her smile turned into a smirk.

Miranda shook her head, "Oh, no." She felt a smile slowly begin to creep across her face as she went on, "The only way you could possibly get that story out of me, is if I was drunk."

"Oh?" Andrea chuckled, "Really?"

"Whatever you're thinking, Andrea, I will tell you something. Don't challenge me to a drinking match, because I will drink you under the table, and over the moon. You'll be unconscious before I'm drunk enough to spill that secret."

Andrea's chuckle turned into smiling laughter, "All right, well, we'll have to come up with some kind of story swap."

Miranda cocked her head to the right, "Story swap? Whatever do you mean?"

Andrea nodded, "Yup, a story swap. I give one, you give one. Or, you give one, then I give one. You know, they don't even have to be stories. They can just be little tidbits of information. Here, I'll start. I hate octopus, both alive and dead. I had to eat it once, at some lawyer party I went to with my dad. It was disgusting. Not only are they creepy, they are disgusting, both in look and in taste. I don't think my father has ever been so upset with me. I gagged and spit it out, all over my brand new dress. Did you know that octopus stains? If not, then let me tell you. Octopus stains."

Miranda chuckled, and sipped at her wine while she thought for a moment, before speaking, "All right. I had two dogs before Patricia. The first one was Charlie. He was very sweet, but he died the year before my girls were born. The year my girls were born I adopted an older dog from the shelter. Cupcake, was her name, and I was not the one who named her. She passed away when my girls were four. I didn't get Patricia until my girls were almost eight, and Patricia was just three weeks old. Her mother was hit by a car, and the pound I am affiliated with called to ask if I could care for the puppy. I immediately said yes, and did everything I was instructed to ensure that Patricia didn't suffer from separation anxiety, or infections. I brought her to work with me, wrapped up warmly and snuggled into a second purse. She's slowly getting up in her years, but she's healthy, and well taken care of, so I'm not worried yet."

"I had four guinea pigs, two rabbits, a dog, a cat, and a pony. Though the pony was a shared pony with two of my friends. We worked very hard to earn our beautiful Secret." Andrea giggled, "We had this whole spiel. It was rather childish, but we were only eleven. She was our secret. So, when we were at school, we'd whisper together, and giggle, and when someone asked what was so funny, we would reply with 'Shhh… it's our secret.' It totally made a ton of people angry, until we had a big party and showed everyone our beautiful Secret. It was great."

A smile spread across Miranda's cheeks as she laughed softly, taking a moment before speaking, "I'm allergic to Atlantic Cod. Just Atlantic Cod, no other seafood. I'm fortunate that it doesn't really turn up as some surprise. Otherwise I would actually need to use the blasted epi-pen I have. I also have a very minor reaction to peanuts. Nothing severe, so I still can eat certain peanut sauces without any trouble."

"That's why you always have the chicken, even though it's usually a little on the dry side," Andrea pointed at her briefly before she took another sip of her wine, "I'll be sure to never order Atlantic Cod."

Miranda scoffed and smirked, "Well, I'm grateful for your loyal concern."

"That's what three years and two pay raises with get you," Andrea returned the smirk, and shifted a little on the couch, splaying out in a much more comfortable looking fashion.

"Perhaps if I raise your salary again, you'll let me in on your little secret," Miranda felt her eyes crinkle with mirth, and she sipped at her wine, finding herself truly enjoying herself.

Andrea giggled and smiled brightly, "My little Secret was a beautiful Chestnut-cream colored mix-breed, with a black little spot on her rump, and one on her left foreleg. She was beautiful, and we spent three years each raising the money for her. We all doubled our chores, and worked super hard in school because if we got excellent grades, then we got money. Every A was worth ten dollars. With five school subjects that, as it's easy math, came out to be fifty dollars every time there was a report card. So, between the three of us, it was one fifty. We were able to raise the two thousand she cost us, and some of the money to help take care of her right at the beginning."

Miranda laughed softly, watching the joy that was pasted to her assistant's face, "Well, I can see how that dedication never wore away."

Andrea leaned a little to her left, against the couch, and smiled- her whole face lighting up with an innocent glow- "Yea, it really taught me a lesson. I learned a lot working for Secret, and working with Secret. I'm really glad my friends and I pulled it off in the end."

"Do you still speak with them?" Miranda inquired, sipping at her wine again, and mentally frowning at how there was very little left, and she could tell that her daughters were no longer in the dining room.

Andrea outwardly frowned, "Katie was killed in a drunk driving accident when we were fifteen. She was crossing the street, it was around five thirty in the evening, so it was still light out. She had the right to cross, and the driver barreled through a red light and smashed into her. Bethany went nuts. She started drinking, smoking, doing hard-core drugs, and the like. I stopped talking to her when we were seventeen, but she had already pretty much dropped me from her life. Last I heard of her, it was after I had left for college. She got pregnant right out of High School, and then lost the baby. She cleaned up her act, and moved away. Secret is still kicking, but probably doesn't have too many years left. My father rents her out for training children to ride, because she's so docile. He wires me the money every three or four months."

Miranda swallowed, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's in the past. We still shared Secret, but I had started to drift away even before the accident, shortly after we got her. Some bad things happened, and it wasn't handled properly. I miss them, but Bethany and I won't ever have the same connection we did, so best leave it in the past."

"Hmmm," Miranda leaned forward slightly, and brushed her fingertips just across the bottom of Andrea's bent knee, "The past will always shape the future, but it can never be altered once it has happened. I learned that lesson during my marriage with my girls' father."

Andrea looked as though she was going to respond, when the twins' voices called out, "Mom(ma)! We're all ready for bed!"

Miranda chuckled, and stood from the couch, "I guess this concludes our evening."

Andrea smiled at her, before standing as well, "Thank you, for a wonderful dinner, Miranda."

"Of course, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Setting down her basically empty wine glass, she nodded towards the front of the house, "I'll see you to the door. Are you all right with waiting in the foyer again. Roy will be picking you up, just send him a text, he'll be here shortly. He went around the corner to the market."

Andrea nodded, "That's fine."

Letting a small smile grace her lips, Miranda nodded before leading Andrea out of the study and into the foyer. Stepping to the closet, she removed Andrea's jacket and helped her slip into it, "Good evening, Andrea."

"Good evening, Miranda. Go ahead and tuck the girls in. I'll see you tomorrow morning at the office."

Stepping back, and away, Miranda turned to the stairs, only to hesitate for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she turned her head back, "Have a good night, Andrea. I will see you tomorrow."

With her parting words, Miranda quickly made her way up the stairs to tuck in her daughters, leaving a smiling Andrea in her foyer for the second time.

/DWP/

Three days later, and a new- metaphorical- wig, Andy sighed as she slipped into the booth at the bar, glaring at her friend when he laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, laugh it up Nigel, as if your week has been any better."

He sniffed, scoffed, and smiled before pulling off his glasses and polishing the lenses as he spoke, "My week has been wonderful," he raised a teasing eyebrow at her, "I have no idea what has you so exhausted."

Andy snorted, and waved at the bartender- who had become a friendly acquaintance over the number of times she and Nigel visited the bar. He smiled, and nodded, raising his fingers to indicate that he would be over with their drinks, "I'm sure you have no idea, what with the deadline coming up next Friday, it's as if Miranda decided to give us all a vacation. Mine was quite enjoyable, thank you very much."

He laughed and slipped his glasses back over his eyes, "My vacation was glorious. Tell me all about yours and I'll tell you all about mine."

"Mmm, I went to the Bahamas. It was fantastic."

"Oh really? I went to Costa Rica. Beautiful place, let me be the one to say."

They laughed again, and each thanked the bartender who placed their usual drinks in front of them, before Andy replied, "I'm so very glad that this deadline is almost through. With the extra time I've been slipping into Miranda's schedule, she's been able to already get two shoots planned for the next one, and has three articles that are acceptable work, and are being triple edited as we speak to ensure her wanted perfection."

"You and your tricks have been a godsend. You find a way to give her three minutes here, ten minutes there, and so on. It's as if you've added an extra hour, or more, to her day. Not even Miranda's first, first assistant was this good. It's as if you have some psychic powers, and you just wave a hand, and she has extra time, and everything she wants. It's a miracle, and boy, am I glad for it. Sales have gone up, I've gotten a raise, and you've gotten two, as well as being able to get a little freelance work in."

Andy took a drink and smiled, "So, does all my hard work deserve that story you promised me?"

"Ahh," Nigel smirked as he took a sip of his own drink, "the Miranda Priestly debacle. The day she went into active labor during a speech at a _Runway_ Gala, and ruined a twenty thousand dollar hand-stitched gown from Versace, personally made by Donatella just for Miranda. She absolutely loved it because it was made to help support her back, and hold her belly instead of drape around it, even though she hadn't grown very much even with twins. She had been suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions for a few weeks already, so the gown was a gift from heaven for her, and worth a smile."

"Yes, that story. Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"She was about four weeks from her thirty-eighth week, so thirty-four weeks, as you can do the math. She was completely driving everyone mad. You hear about all these women getting strange cravings, and becoming overly emotional, and teary eyed? I almost wish that had been the truth. Oh no, Miranda's pregnancy hormones made her more ruthless and fire breathing than ever. She was furious about everything. Someone sneezed, and the only reason she didn't fire the person was because one of the twins decided to kick for the first time. If she had any strange cravings, she certainly never indulged in them. She barely changed her eating habits at all. In fact, I think she had started to eat less. Not only was she dealing with her pregnancy, but she was also dealing with the fact that her second husband had been caught out with someone else, and it had not been for a simple friendly dinner. She was completely crushed, and the stress was getting to her."

Nigel took another sip of his drink before he went on, "She was small. She's always been rather petite as a size two, but I overheard a conversation she was having with her doctor when he came for an in-office appointment. She was underweight for how far along she was, and it was a concern to him. He was worried that the twins would be under nourished. I don't think she bothered to listen. I knew she wanted the girls, as she's always loved children, but she was furious with her soon to be ex-husband, and I think she was unconsciously mistreating herself as some way to pay him back. So, Miranda's pregnancy hormones were no help to anyone at the office. She fired more people that year than any other year."

Andy gaped at him, "Really?"

He nodded, "She did. All right then, let's go back to the happenings at the Gala. It was another Friday evening event, and Miranda had been completely horrid the entire day. Eleven people fired or transferred before it was even noon. She was furious with everything, more so than before, and informed me that she had been having a few Braxon Hicks contractions, and told me to tell her sniveling assistant that she wanted a heating pad for her back. I'm not joking, she was so disgusted with her both her assistants that she called me from my office to her office in order to have me boss them around for her. She had fired so many people that she decided if she looked at her assistants she would fire them both, and she actually needed them."

Andy snorted and took a drink, "I bet that made you feel wonderful, being a messenger boy like that."

Rolling his eyes, Nigel continued talking, "She went home an hour early, because she still wasn't feeling very well, and she needed to get ready for the Gala. I didn't see her until the event. Irv, as per usual, was such a bore, he went on and on and on. I was sitting across from Miranda, and throughout the entire evening, she continued to look more restless. Her left eye was twitching slightly-"

"Oh!" Andy cut in, "That's a sign that she's in some sort of pain!" She finished off her drink, before waving at the bartender.

"Exactly. It was somewhat concerning. She was shifting every so slightly in her chair, and had been letting out little puffs of air every once and a while. During all of the speeches before hers, she was continuously slipping a hand down off the table. I couldn't see, so I could only assume that she was massaging either her lower abdomen, or her lower back. She looked absolutely miserable. Well, the evening continued to drone on, and it was finally Miranda's turn up at the dais. She looked livid, and frustrated, but got up and as gracefully as she could, made her way up."

"Nigel, you are making this somewhat boring. You're usually a much better story teller."

He scowled, and huffed, "Yes, well, this is a very specific story about our boss, that I really shouldn't be telling you, and am trying to not to pass on too much information because she will kill us both if she ever were to find out."

Andy scowled back, and sighed, before smiling at the bartender as he gave her a fresh glass, "Thank you." She said before turning back to Nigel, "Fine, continue to tell me the story in your boring manner."

"Miranda made her way up to the stage, and began her speech. You've seen her speak, she's elegant, and doesn't fidget. Oh, but she was fidgeting. Just slightly, hardly noticeable to the untrained eye, but it was there. Also, her left eye was still twitching. So, she goes on with her speech, and maybe halfway through, her eyes blow wide open, and she freezes. Her mouth was part way open, and she looked horrified, absolutely terrified. The room was silent, absolutely silent. It was so quiet someone could have dropped a feather on the ground and we would have been able to hear it."

He nods as emphasis, "Very seriously. So, she was standing there, and then she closed her mouth, gently cleared her throat, and said, 'Will someone please call Roy, and inform him I must be picked up immediately.' It was crazy. She's in the middle of her typical _Runway_ getup and suddenly she had a thin layer of sweat forming across her brow, and she seemed to be mildly concerned, but everyone was in some state of shock, so nobody moved. The next thing we all heard, is a something nobody had ever heard from her mouth before, nor was anyone ever expecting to hear. She said, 'For fuck's sake, I need to get to the hospital.' The room was instantly in an uproar. I think Roy was getting calls from people in every single department. I think all of _Runway_ suddenly had his phone number, and people were shoving tables to the side to create the widest aisle I've ever seen to the door."

"Six, I'm not evening kidding you. People were filing outside to block and distract the paparazzi. It was the calmest wild panic I've ever seen. It was as if suddenly every employee had telepathy and understood how very important it was that Miranda was not to be engaged by the press, or delayed in anyway from getting to the hospital. I went up to help her down from the stage, as well as her present assistant, and she was nearly in tears. You know how in movies, where the woman's water breaks, and it's some big splash? Yet you hear everywhere that that isn't what usually really happens? Well all those big shots can stuff it, because Miranda had a big gush down her legs, and it ruined her heels, and had splattered down her gown as well. The amniotic fluid ruined the material of the gown."

Taking another sip of his drink, Nigel leaned in just a little closer across the table, "She had been in labor for over fourteen hours. The Braxton Hicks contractions weren't Braxton Hicks. We were able to get her out quickly, but without rushing, and the Paparazzi got their photos, but none of them knew that she was in labor. We walked just right, so that none of them would be able to pick up on the splotches of her dress. Roy helped her into the car, and off they went. As this really isn't my story to tell, the last bit I'll share is that when she got to the hospital she was she was barely over three centimeters dilated. Her labor was incredibly slow, and it just so happened that Jeremy didn't even make it until after Caroline was born. Miranda was in labor for…"

Nigel paused, and squinted, counting out loud under his breath, before he said, "Well, over fourteen hours before she even got to the hospital, and then about thirty-eight, thirty-nine, almost forty damn hours after. She was even taken home by Roy, to be under the watchful eye of her housemaid for part of the time. Roy was there the whole time at the hospital, and at her home. He did an amazing job at throwing the paparazzi off. Those hound dogs didn't find out that Miranda was in labor until the third trip to the hospital, which was maybe running into her forty-third hour of labor. I'm really not entirely sure."

Andy gaped at him, "Miranda was in labor for over fifty-four hours?"

"Until Caroline was born, yes. It took Cassidy another three."

"Really? Why did it take so long? Is that not dangerous? I thought that could be dangerous."

Nigel waved a hand at her, "Whoa, hold on, Six, that is definitely not my story to share. Take that up with the Boss."

Andy pouted, "Come on, Nige, please?"

He shook his head, "Really, Six, I don't even know all the details, and I'm not going to break the confidence that Miranda put in me. Everything else I told you could be heard in bits and pieces from older _Runway_ staff, and older board members, or from a collection of old newspapers that have tastes of truth in them, but other than that, it's all private to Miranda."

Sighing, Andy gave him a small smile, "I'm sorry. You're right. I won't push. Thank you for sharing what you did."

"Emily informed me that Miranda chewed you out the other day. What was that about?"

"She didn't take a minute to listen to Zel, who would have told her what she was looking for was on my desk. So she went a little ballistic, as usual, and threatened my job. When I got back, she went through her usual routine and demanded me tell her where I was because I was supposed to be at the office."

Nigel quirked an eyebrow at her, "Well, whatever did you say?"

"That I was out, as I always am on the second Tuesday of the month, and that I always get what needs to be done, done, before I go."

"Hmm." He leaned back a little and eyeballed her, "Where do you go, when you're out?"

Andy swallowed, forcing herself to remain somewhat calm as she took a drink before biting out, "I was out, Nigel."

His eyebrow rose into his hairline, "Whoa, no need to get testy, Six. I'm not trying to make you angry. I was just wondering, as a colleague and friend. I'm sorry if I said something out of line."

"I just-" Andy heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, "I was at an appointment. I just don't like people butting into my private life. I've had a lot of shit go wrong when people do that."

"Well," Nigel reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle tap, "you can talk to me, and I hope you know that."

Finishing her second drink she licked her lips and fiddled with her empty glass, "I go to therapy. I had a near death experience when I was younger, and I've been in therapy since."

"Oh, God. What happened?"

Andy shook her head, "That- I- no, I'm not ready to share that. Maybe another time."

Nigel smiled softly, "Sure. Is this why she chewed you out? Cause you refused to tell her what you had been doing? Look at you, Six, smoking the pot to stand up to La Priestly."

Andy scoffed and snorted on her wine, laughing out at the dirty, prideful smirk on her friend's face, "Yes, that's exactly it. I am so high I don't care."

Nigel joined in with his own laughter, and as their evening progressed, Andy felt proud that she had shared the tiny piece that she had.

Maybe bringing the subject up with Miranda wouldn't be as hard as she was thinking it would be.

Maybe she could share her past and it wouldn't be dismissed.

Smiling as she parted ways with Nigel, she stuffed her hands into her pockets and nodded to herself. She would start to slip hints and notes around for Miranda to find. Then maybe she'd bring up her experiences, and convince the Editor to start a ball rolling.

There wasn't any point in trying. She knew Miranda's schedule, and she knew the way to nudge Miranda's mind.

Grinning, she put a skip in her step as she walked the few blocks home, because she had a plan to set up.

/DWP/

Miranda let out a deep sigh as she walked into her home. The deadline had been met, and sent to print. She had fifteen hours to breath, and relax with her darling daughters before she had to worry about the next issue… which they were already ahead on.

Slipping out of her coat, she trudged up the stairs, noting how it was eerily silent, "Caroline! Cassidy!" She spoke out, her tone just slightly above normal.

Getting no reply, worry began to twist in her gut. Laying her coat over the edge of the upstairs den couch, she hurried around the corner and down the hall to the girls' rooms, the worry building as she found both rooms were empty, "Girls! Bobbseys!"

Swallowing, she made her way up to the third floor of the house, and called out again, "Caroline, Cassidy!"

Once more not getting any response, she felt panic rise in her chest as she removed her phone from her purse. Noting that there weren't any messages from her girls, or their father, or anyone else, the panic was soon a cold sweat.

"Bobbseys! Olly, olly, oxen free! Caroline, Cassidy, this has gone on long enough!" Her voice was rising in volume, and she felt fear grip at her chest, ripping through her skin and clawing at her heart through her ribs.

Pressing the number to speed dial Andrea, she found herself losing a battle with the panic that was quickly claiming her body, and the hyperventilating set in.

"Hello, Miranda?"

"They're gone," she hissed out painfully, clutching at her chest, desperate for air.

"What? Miranda, what's wrong?" Andrea's voice was calm, and warm, as she spoke.

"They're gone!"

"Miranda, I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. Who's gone. Are you home? Is it-"

"Caroline, and Cassidy! They aren't in the house!" She choked on a sob.

* * *

**A/N: OOOOH…. Yea… cliffhanger… *gasp* so, like, I really will do my best to get the next part up soon.**

**Tell me what you think?**

**Reviews are loved and appreciated.**

**All my love,**

**CBC**


	5. Damage

**A/N: LOOK! Here's Chapter 5!**

**I am so very sorry for the drastic wait.**

**Reminder: All my work is unbetaed. Pardon any and all mistakes. If you catch one, let me know! :)**

**Thank you all for being painfully patient. I hate that I wasn't able to get this up sooner.**

**All my love,**

**CBC**

* * *

"I'm on my way. Miranda, I need you to listen to me. Listen to me, Miranda. You need to take some deep breaths, and call Cara. Tell her to come to the house. Can you do that? Are you going to be okay if I hang up the phone to make some calls?"

"My girls, Andrea, I don't know where they are," Miranda pressed the hand not holding her phone to her forehead as she leaned against the hallway wall, trying to breathe.

"We're going to find them. I know that panicking sounds like the best option, Miranda, but that's not going to help us figure this out. Miranda, I need you to trust me. Whatever has happened, whether it be they fell asleep at a friend's house, or took a walk to Central Park, we're going to find them. I need you to call Cara, okay. Take some deep breaths, then hang up and call Cara."

Miranda slid down the hallway wall as she sucked in ragged breaths of air, "Call… Cara."

"Yes, Miranda, you need to call Cara. I'll call Roy, and I'll call the girls' second driver. When you've called Cara, will you be able to call their father?"

Miranda continued to suck in deep breaths, trying desperately to remain somewhat calm, "I can… I can call him."

"Okay, good. That's good, Miranda. Listen to me, Miranda. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," She coughed out.

"Then pay close attention. Whatever has happened, we're going to figure it out. I am going to do everything I can to help you find the girls, Miranda. Okay. So trust me, when I tell you that this is not the time to panic. This is the time to react, and stay alert. So call Cara, have her come to the house to be of some company, and an extra voice. Then call their father. I'll call Roy, and the second driver. Then I'll make some calls around to see if anyone else has seen them. You know that when Donatella is in New York she likes to surprise her Goddaughters at school. Perhaps communication was lost. They could be a friend's doing homework, and forgot to text. They are teenagers, forgetting to text or call is common. I did it all the time. They could have forgotten to charge their phones, and they could be stuck in traffic with their father. Okay. Do you understand me?"

Miranda felt her breathing calm, and her heart slowly stop racing as she replied, "Yes."

"Good. I'm going to hang up now. Call Cara, and then call their father. If you have some time, try calling their phones as well. All right?"

"Call Cara, and their father."

"I'll call you back in about thirty minutes. Are you going to be okay if I hang up?"

Miranda swallowed, "Yes."

"Good. I'll speak with you soon, Miranda."

A click, and then a dial tone sounded in Miranda's ear, and she swallowed again before quickly speed dialing Cara.

/DWP/

Andy flailed around her room, grabbing clothes to put on in case she needed to go anywhere, gasping when Roy answered his phone, "Oh! Good, Roy. Thank God. Have you gotten any word from Caroline or Cassidy sometime recently?"

"No," the man answered, "should I have? Was I supposed to take them somewhere?"

"No, no, shit, ow that hurt," Andy grimaced as she stubbed her toe, "sorry. Miranda just called me, and told me the twins aren't home. She hasn't gotten any word from them or their father. She has no idea where they are."

"Oh my God."

"Yea. So, do me a favor and call around to some of your contacts, see if they've heard anything. Text me if you find something, will you?"

"Of course, no problem. Call me if you need driven anywhere, or need me to take Miranda somewhere."

"Thanks, Roy. I'll call you if we find them." She hung up and quickly dialed the second driver.

Getting the same response, she cursed after she had hung up, and set her phone down to quickly change her clothes. Picking up her phone again, she startled when it vibrated in her hand. Checking the ID, she frowned when it read 'Unknown' on the screen.

Answering she spoke warily, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this someone who goes by Andy?" An unfamiliar voice replied.

"Who is this?"

"My name is officer Herald Nombet. I'm with the NYPD."

"Oh God. Yes, this is Andy. Andrea Sachs. What's going on? How'd you get this number?"

"There was an accident-"

"What type of accident? Were there two girls involved? Two teenagers. Identical female twins, redheads with freckles across their cheeks."

"Ms. Sachs, please take a deep breath, and remain calm. Allow me to finish before asking questions, please."

"Okay, yes."

"It was a car accident. There were four people in the car. Yes, two of them fit your description. We could only find one cell phone, and it had been rather smashed, so we could not read the screen. However, one of them had a strip of paper with the name 'Andy' on it, and this number, in her pocket. We had no way to identify them, and an ambulance has taken them to the Presbyterian Emergency Hospital. What is your relationship with these two girls?"

"I-" Andy took a breath, "I work for their mother. I've known them for three years. If the other two passengers were a male and a female, I have an idea who they are. The man in the car is most likely their father, Geoffrey Gunner, because they were supposed to go out with him, and were due back about an hour ago. The woman is probably his new girlfriend… but I don't know her name. The girls are Caroline and Cassidy. They… they have some allergies to medicines. They wear anklets that have medical information on them. Caroline is a little bigger than Cassidy. She's the older twin. Are they okay?"

There was a moment of partial silence before the voice spoke again, "I've just passed the information to my colleague who will inform the hospital of the information you've given me. They had already been removed from the car when I arrived, but it seemed like one of them was semi-conscious, and the other was unconscious. The medics were in a hurry, but I didn't hear any sounds of coding, or immediate distress before the ambulances took off. The other two, there was some trouble. You were correct that one was male, the other female. The medics found a second heartbeat, and were moving quickly to save the woman's pregnancy. The man was still in the car, caught by the steering wheel."

"Oh God. Okay, thank you. You said Presbyterian Emergency? I'll call and inform their mother, and we'll be at the hospital immediately. Their mother is Miranda Priestly, please, please do whatever you can to minimize the press."

She heard the man grunt, "The Priestly twins? Did you just say Miranda Priestly? Goddamn, I didn't even realize. Yes, we'll do everything we can to minimize the press. Inform Miranda that you spoke with Nombet."

Andy furrowed her brow but answered, "Okay, I can do that. Thank you, thank you for calling. Miranda and I will be at Presbyterian as quick as we can."

"Good day, Ms. Sachs."

Andy hung up and dialed Roy, barking as soon as he picked up, "Pick up Miranda and take her to Presbyterian Emergency. The girls were in a car accident. The officer told me that he believed they were all right, but he cannot be for sure, because he did not speak with them. Quickly, Roy. I'm calling her now, then I'll catch a Taxi and meet you there."

"Shit, Andy. Sure. I'm on my way. Call Miranda." Roy gave her a quick answer before he hung up.

Calling Miranda, Andy grabbed her messenger bag, stuffed some clothes into it, and ran from her apartment, when Miranda picked up, "Andrea! Have you heard anything!"

"Miranda, Roy is on his way to pick you up. I got a call from Nombet and-"

"Nombet?" Miranda cut in, "Herald Nombet? What was he doing calling you? Andrea, what happened to my girls!"

"He said that when he saw them, they looked okay. He didn't speak with them before they were taken to Presbyterian Emergency. They were in some car accident. I didn't get the details about it, other than that he saw one of them was conscious, and that they were both out of the car and in ambulances before they were driven away," Andy supplied, leaving out some details, deciding to give Miranda that information face to face.

Stepping outside, she hurried down the street as Miranda spoke, "Car accident! Car accident!"

"Yes, Miranda, and they are on their way to Emergency, and Roy is on his way to pick you up-" she whistled for a cab as it drove by, and hurried to it when it stopped, "and I'm just getting into a cab. I will meet you there, Miranda. The girls are going to be fine, Miranda. Okay. Right now, you need to grab some clothes for them in case they need them, and then have Roy take you to the Presbyterian Emergency Hospital." She tapped the driver and he took off, clearing getting her hinted instructions, "I'll meet you there, okay, Miranda? The girls are going to be fine. I'm already on my way, and I'll be there when you get there." She said.

"Oh God, my girls. Andrea, my girls," Miranda's voice hitched.

"I know Miranda, I'm scared, and worried too, but we can't allow that to get in the way of what needs to happen. So take a deep breath, and get some clothes for the girls, and then get into the car when Roy gets there. He'll do the rest. You know he's a good driver. He'll bring you to your girls, and I'll meet you there. Miranda, this is still not the time to freak out and panic, all right. I know that's hard, but the girls are going to need you to take a deep breath, and not panic yet. Miranda, I need you to not panic yet. I need you to remain strong still, can we do this? Can you continue to trust me?"

Miranda gave her a breathy acknowledgement, but it made Andy grit her teeth to remain calm herself. She needed to remain strong for Miranda, and the girls. She would be strong for Miranda and the girls.

"Okay, Miranda. I'm going to hang up now, in case I get a call. Grab some clothes for the girls, and if you need me, call me. Roy is on his way."

She took a deep breath.

Nerves became purging, and she was not going to allow the nerves to win.

/DWP/

Andy rushed through the emergency hospital doors and headed to the front desk, "I got a call about two teenage girls being brought in from a car accident. Is there anyone I can speak to about them."

The nurse gave her a polite look, "Relation?"

Andy nodded, "Family friend, and closer to the hospital. Their mother is on their way. They're identical twins, and I can identify which is which. Is there a way to know if the doctor with them has noted that they're wearing medical anklets. They both have allergies to medicines, and the information is the anklets, along with blood type, weight, height, and some other medical information."

The nurse pursed her lips, "I'm sorry, only family is allowed to speak with the-"

"Andrea!"

Andy turned around, "Miranda. Oh thank God." She looked back to the nurse as Miranda quickly approached, "That's their mother."

The nurse's eyes widened, "Th- that's…" she stuttered, "Miranda… Pries… Priestly."

Andy nodded, "Yes, and we'd be grateful if we could be told something about her daughters that were brought in from a car accident."

The nurse nodded, "Right. Right away." She picked up a phone, and Andy returned her attention to her boss.

"Miranda, the nurse is calling for someone. We'll know very soon about the girls, Miranda."

Miranda nodded, but kept silent, her throat working overtime in what Andy guessed was to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She was in a very public room. Even with most people worried about family or friends in the hospital, it was very obvious that many of them were very aware of who she was.

The nurse tapped her shoulder, "Miss. A doctor will meet with you in about five minutes, and take you somewhere private. Please, sit. What name should he call for?"

Andy gave a quick glance to Miranda before saying, "Sachs. Have him call out for Sachs."

The nurse nodded before relaying the information into the phone and hanging up, "The doctor will be with you very shortly."

"Thank you," Andy gave a tight smile, "for the help."

"My pleasure."

Andy quickly pressed an inconspicuous hand against Miranda's side, and pushed her away from the desk, "Miranda, we need to sit," she whispered, "and the doctor will be just a moment, you heard."

Miranda swallowed and didn't reply but her feet moved her to a seat, and she sat down in it, as Andy sat down beside her. Andy reached between the armrests of the seats and pressed a gentle hand against Miranda's thigh. It was out of view of anyone who would look at them, but by the slight drop in Miranda's tense shoulders, Andy knew that it was somewhat calming to the other woman. Andy knew that it was somewhat grounding, and that Miranda needed it.

"They're going to be just fine, just you wait. They're strong, tough, girls, Miranda, and they're going to be just fine," she said soothingly. It was not some sympathetic phrase, no… not for Miranda. Instead it was simply words of encouragement to take deep breaths, and to not get lost in her personal thoughts.

Andy's voice was as much of an anchor as her hand was, and Miranda needed an anchor, so Andy provided it.

/DWP/

A few minutes later a slightly grey-haired man stepped out from around a corner, "Sachs?"

Andy stood, "Yes."

The man approached her, and lowered his voice to a conversational level, "Doctor Mason. Ah, you informed the reception nurse that you're here for the Jane Doe twins?"

"Caroline, and Cassidy, yes. I'm desperately hoping that their medical anklets were seen. They refused to wear bracelets or necklaces."

Mason chuckled, "The medics informed the team."

"Good, thank God. Can we see them, or discuss what happened?"

"We?"

Andy nodded, "Miranda, their mother."

He glanced to the stoic woman who was sitting beside where Andy was standing and nodded in understanding, "You won't be able to see them yet-"

"I can identify which twin is which if need be. If we can't see them yet, then be sure that whoever is in charge knows that they must not have separate rooms. Price and insurance doesn't matter, if a bigger room is needed. They cannot be separated from each other for too long." Andy said adamantly.

"Of course. How about you both come to my office, and we will talk about what's going on, and I will pass along the information."

Andy nodded, "Great." She brushed her hand subtly against Miranda's shoulder, "Miranda."

The older woman stood and nodded, her face a deep shade of red, her eyes bloodshot, and her body stiff as a board. Andy felt her heart break, but put it aside for when they would be in a more private setting, "Lead the way," she said to the doctor, who smiled softly and did exactly that.

Once the door was closed, Miranda let out a soft sob, and sucked in a pained breath. Moving quickly, Andy pressed a hand to the older woman's back, "It's all right, Miranda. Doctor Mason is going to tell us what's going on. Look at his posture, and his calm attitude, that means that the girls must be doing okay."

Pulling out a chair with her free hand, she practically forced Miranda to sit, before sitting in her own chair, and the doctor took a seat on the couch as he said, "I rather hate sitting behind the desk, it makes conversation rather impersonal. Would you like a glass of water?"

Miranda and Andy both shook their heads. Andy grabbed a tissue from the table and passed it to her boss as she spoke, "What's the status?" Her heart was drumming in her chest, but she forced herself to remain as calm as possible.

Nerves became purging…. She swallowed… nerves wouldn't help Miranda.

Nerves would not help Miranda.

Mason shifted a little, "Twin number one was semi conscious when she was brought in. She has a minor concussion, two broken fingers, and a black eye. She probably threw her forearms up against the back of the passenger seat, which was very dangerous, but in her case it probably saved her some injuries instead of causing more. She was complaining about a stomachache, and was taken in for scans to see if there may have been a rupture, or tear, caused by the seatbelt. If there was a major rupture, she will be taken immediately into surgery, if it was a minor rupture, she may not be taken in for surgery, and we will try to help the rupture heal on its own, depending on where the rupture is."

He smiled tentatively, "The padded seat belts, that were mentioned by the medics, in the car were probably a saving grace. They acted as cushions to help keep the belt from biting into their necks and stomachs. Twin number one may have a cracked rib or two, but I was not present for the scans and X-Rays. Her legs suffered some damage, but I was not informed of any breakage. Bruising will range from moderate to severe, and will most likely be very painful, but under most cases will not be nearly as dreadful as it looks. It will definitely look worse than it is. She was very lucky."

"They refused to wear the belts, when they were younger. They said that they hurt," Miranda swallowed, and looked to Andy, "so I had ever car they would ever ride in have padded belts installed."

Andy smiled and looked at Miranda, "See, Miranda, that's wonderful news. Doctor Mason gave us some very great news. Mason, do you know of any marks that could help us identify which girl you're speaking of? You said she was semi conscious, was she able to say anything that could help us identify her?"

He furrowed his brow, "She didn't say her name, or her sister's. She kept saying 'Bear'-"

Miranda let out a sound that Andy almost thought could have been a laugh and cut him off, "Cassidy. It's Cassidy. She calls her sister Care-Bear. Oh God, it's Cassidy."

Andy reached over and squeezed Miranda's hand, "What about Caroline, the other twin?"

Mason licked at his lips and cleared his throat, "She came in unconscious, and her concussion is more severe than her sister's. She was closer to impact, and it caused more damage. She was thrown around more forcefully, giving her whiplash, and her head hit the window. I do not know what kind of swelling may be taking place in her brain, it depends on how hard she hit, and the tests were still being completed. If there was enough swelling, she may have part of her skull removed, in order to relieve pressure, and demote permanent brain damage."

Miranda pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle a cry, and Mason paused for a moment before continuing after Andy gave him a nod, "Her ankle got caught, and they know that it's not broken, but there could be hairline factures in her foot, and the ankle. She may have hyper extended or torn tendons or ligaments in the knee. From breathing patterns, it has been noted that she definitely has at least one broken rib that may be pressing against her right lung. They will try to shift it without cutting her open, but they may not be able to, and if the rib punctures the lung it will cause much more extensive damage to her body. They were also taking her for abdominal scans to see if there were any ruptures or tears. However, considering the many car accidents that we've seen, both girls have come away almost clean. That is not a huge comfort, considering that they are still injured, but the comfort comes from knowing that so many more have come in with many more injuries, and have made complete recoveries. We're doing our absolute best. You both are welcome to a private room to wait, if you would like."

"Yes. Absolutely, thank you. When do you think that we may be able to see either of the girls?" Andy said.

"It is dependent on if they are taken in for surgery, or not. If they are not taken for surgery, then perhaps in about an hour you can see them. If they are taken for surgery, then I am unable to give you an estimate. I wish that I could say more."

Andy nodded, "Thank you, for your time."

"Of course."

/DWP/

Miranda didn't say anything else as the long hour ticked by. They hadn't received any information on her ex-husband, or his girlfriend, and Andy wasn't really in the mood to call and find out.

They'd gotten an update.

Cassidy hadn't ruptured anything, and there was a small fracture in her second left rib. Her fingers had been taped and braced, and they had given her some light painkillers that would help her sleep. Her concussion would be monitored over night, as well as her other injuries, and if in the morning things looked well, then she would be released to go home. Her legs would be pretty beat up, and she'd be very bruised for at least a few weeks, but she'd be able to walk just fine with an arm to hold onto to help keep her steady while she moved.

The doctor said that she wasn't quite ready for visitors, because the nurses were cleaning her up, and bandaging some of the superficial cuts, but that someone would be out as soon as she was ready.

Caroline's rib had been shifted without puncturing her lung, but she would have to remain on her back for at least a week to give it time to heal so it wouldn't shift back out of place. There had been a small rupture, that they made a two-inch incision into the lower part of her abdomen to fix. It would heal well if taken care of properly, and the week in the hospital would be important. Her knee was stretched, but nothing had been torn, and a few sessions of physical therapy was recommended to help strengthen the weaker point. She was going to have to wear an ankle boot for two or three weeks after discharge to keep the ankle in place, and with the physical therapy, it would be as good as new. Her concussion would be monitored, just as Cassidy's, and she was still in the OR finishing up with her rupture, so she was unable to be seen.

Once the doctor had left the private room, Miranda had openly sobbed, finally giving into the emotions she had been holding in check. Her whole body shook, and she pressed the knuckles of her fist against her lips to partially muffle her cries.

Andy had simply shifted closer, and pressed a hand to her knee. She didn't squeeze, or say some cheesy reassurance… but she could tell that Miranda was so grateful for the presence of another being… someone who knew her.

Her babies would be okay. They were going to be okay, and Andy felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. If she felt this way, she couldn't even imagine how Miranda was feeling.

"I almost lost them," Miranda murmured, shaking Andy from her thoughts.

Andy nodded, and inched just a little closer, "There should be a nurse in soon, so that we can go and see Cassidy. Caroline should just be coming out of surgery and wheeled into post-op to give her some time to come off the anesthetic." Her warm, smooth hand remained planted on Miranda's knee.

"Fifty-nine hours of labor. Everyone who is anyone thinks that it was fifty-seven, but there were sixteen hours before my water broke, not the fourteen that people think." Miranda's voice was hoarse, and quiet… as if she wasn't completely aware of what she was saying out loud.

"I kept saying I wanted a Caesarian, but the doctor said that I was just fine, and the girls were just fine. Then, finally, Caroline came, fifty-six hours in, and Cassidy should have come soon after... but she didn't. I said that I wanted the Caesarian. I had done some reading. I may not have taken the best care of myself, but I had done some reading." Miranda's voice caught and hiccupped, and Andy saw out of the corner of her eye that Miranda had begun to absently fiddle with the hem of her skirt.

"I knew what kinds of damage could be done if a baby was in the womb for too long… but they didn't- they didn't do anything until it was almost too late. Cassidy went into distress, and I almost lost her."

"I'm so sorry, Miranda." Andy whispered softly.

If Miranda had heard her, she ignored it, and kept talking, "I sued for it, and won. The hospital was not happy to have lost." She scoffed and picked at her skirt hem a little more, "It is a confidential file, the court hearing, but with the proper searching anyone could find it. They'd have difficulty getting their hands on it, but it is entirely possible. Anyone could find out that Miranda Priestly almost lost her daughters due to a psychotic man who thought I didn't deserve to have my babies because of the magazine I run. My personal gynecologist was out on leave because her mother had had a heart attack. If she had only been there… or if I hadn't gone into labor that day… I would not have gone through the most horrific experience of my life."

Andy caught sight of a small headshake, and strained to pick up the softest whisper she'd yet heard from the silver haired woman beside her, "Even more horrific than when-"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door… and Miranda's head snapped up, her eyes growing steely and blank, her hands stilling and resting calmly in her lap. The door opened and a nurse stepped in, "Twin number one is all set, so if you would like to follow me, I can take you to her. Twin number two will be in a quiet post operation room for another hour or two, while she comes off the anesthetic."

Miranda stood and nodded, "Lead the way, and as soon as Caroline is able to be seen, I want immediate word of it. My assistant has hopefully informed the staff that the girls are not to be in separate rooms."

The nurse smiled, "Yes, the accommodations have been made. You'll be notified just before twin number two is moved from post op."

Andy stood, "Twin number one is most likely Cassidy, and twin number two is Caroline. When can this be sorted so we don't keep calling them one and two? They will have a fit beyond repair if they find out."

"Once they're both in the same room, and they are clearly identified, then the charts will be changed."

Andy could see Miranda's lips twitch into a snarl, "Are you assuming that I cannot identify my own children while they are separate from each other?"

The nurse- Andy squinted a little to read the nametag that said Eve- shook her head, "Not at all. It's hospital policy, to ensure that the doctors do not mix up the charts. A mother never fails to know her children, but the doctors are not as familiar with your daughters, and do not wish to make a mistake. Especially due to their medical allergies, it could end up being fatal if they read the wrong chart. Their anklets have not been separated from their respective twin, to help ensure no difficulties arise. Any more questions before we go to see your daughter?"

Miranda swallowed, before shaking her head, "No, that's all."

Eve stepped out of the way, "Then if you would please follow me, I will take you to the room."

/DWP/

"Oh, my darling. My darling girl." Miranda murmured as she stepped towards the hospital bed and sank into the chair that was positioned next to it. She reached out, and carefully brushed at the bangs that were lying across a freckled forehead. "Mommy's here, Bobbsey, Mommy loves you, baby." She leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against the bruising skin of her daughter's cheek.

The nurse spoke up gently, "She'll probably remain asleep for a while, and if it were not for her concussion, we'd let her continue to sleep. However, the nightshift nurse will be around in about two hours to rouse her, and do a quick check up of how she's feeling. Then she'll be welcome to go back to sleep for about three hours before she will be woken up again. Sleep is the best thing for her, because it maximizes the body's ability to heal."

Andrea made a small noise before speaking, "Of course, thank you."

Miranda didn't bother to take her eyes away from her daughter as she continued to sooth her fingers along the bruises that were forming all over her baby's peachy skin. Andrea would deal with it, and take care of everything.

"If either of you need something, don't hesitate to buzz a nurse. The security has been notified, and if the press gets wind of anything, they won't be getting a single word out of anyone, so please be at least assured that your daughters will have all the privacy to recuperate and heal."

"We're grateful for the consideration and thoughtfulness. We'll be sure to buzz if we need anything." Andrea stated, and Miranda could feel her face scowling at the overly friendly tone, but she refrained from commenting. There was no need to alienate her after she had been so helpful, and caring.

"I'll be on my way then. Be sure to try and get some rest in. It won't be easy to help the girls if you are both worn out." The nurse- Miranda vaguely recalled a nametag that had a name that started with an E on it- said before footsteps carried her away.

A moment of silence passed before Miranda heard the scraping of a chair, and then seconds later a soft hand was reaching out to gently hold Cassidy's, "Perhaps when Caroline is brought in, we can have the staff rearrange them. They'll have a fit if they wake up and they aren't on their respective sides."

Miranda swallowed and a soft bark of sorrowful laughter filtered through her lips, "They would not be happy to hear they had been flipped." She agreed, feeling a little bit of her worry melt away.

Her babies were going to be okay. She would remain in the hospital for however long she had to, because her babies were going to be okay.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Oohhh... gasp!**

**Okay, yea, you all deserve to have a less painful/nerve wracking chapter ending.**

**So no major cliff hanger this time.**

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**You all are so wonderful! I'm so glad that you've all been looking forward to more.**

**All my love,**

**CBC**


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